The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 122: Echigo’s Captain?!

It was a short boy, even shorter than Higo, and that would tell everyone something here. However, he had a compact body, broad shoulders, and big muscles. It was clear that he was trying to compensate for his height with strength.

The boy also had the same blonde color as Sano, looking like a troublemaker. He wore some sort of bandana to prevent it from falling and covering his eyes, making him also look quite stylish on the pitch.

The moment he gave the player he was about to replace a high-five, he started running on the pitch, and cheers erupted from the stands.

"OH! Riku is finally here!"

"That is what we are looking for! Finally!"

"It is no Echigo without Riku! Come on, Boy! Show us your magic again!"

The cheers startled everyone here, not expecting the boy to be this popular. However, if it was just surprising them, the next part was enough to make their eyes widen in shock.

Right after entering the pitch, that boy, Riku, came straight to the captain, and the armband moved instantly to the boy’s arm. It was so natural, like the role was meant to be his, and looking at the other Echigo players just going along without any complaint, it was clear that Riku was the main player of the team.

"Oi, Teme, ask Ishinori and Denji to be careful with him." Higo didn’t forget to remind his teammate through the captain’s mouth. "Based on his height, he should be a winger, right? Everyone trusts him, and the people in the crowd said something like, ’Show his magic’, which means his playing style will be explosive, so get ready for it."

Makino nodded solemnly, trusting Higo’s instinct for this. He went to the two fullbacks immediately, conveying the information in a second before going back to the center. Both Ishinori and Denji turned their head at Higo for a moment, then gave a nod to show that they received the message.

Unfortunately, no matter how cautious they were, no one could predict the craziness that was going to unfold next.

The moment everyone was ready, the game was restarted with a throw-in for Echigo. The new boy, though, the one who caught everyone’s attention, picked the ball from the center, only a few feet forward from their defensive line. If no one knew better, they would’ve thought that the boy was a defensive midfielder here.

Both Yuji and Kenji stared at each other for a second before the former decided that it was his task to test the water. The quick-feet striker rushed toward Riku, aiming to use his physique to put more pressure on his opponent. However...

BAM!

Everyone was dumbfounded here, as they found Yuji’s balance was shaken with one simple act of ball protection. The boy staggered for a moment before finally being unable to bear it anymore, falling on the grass with his butt first. He blinked confusedly, looking at his opponent in astonishment.

’Damn, he is strong!’

While Yuji was far from the strongest player on the team, he was also one who trained harder in this regard, what with him wanting not to be known as just a speed merchant. However, who would’ve thought that a smaller boy than him would be able to generate more power?

Of course, there was no foul here. Riku just used his butt to prevent Yuji from sneaking from his blind spot, and it was indeed a normal move to protect the ball. It was just that no one from Hakodate was expecting the boy to be that strong.

Then, the show began.

At first, he just pushed the ball slowly, strolling around the midfield while also glancing at his teammates leisurely. If no one knew better, they would’ve thought that it was the Hakodate Nishi team that was behind on the score right now.

Seeing this, Usami, as the second layer of the team’s defense after Yuji, came forward to show support.

That was when Riku started to speed up. Knowing that his opponent came with speed, he just pushed the ball to the other side of the pitch, not allowing Usami to turn around. And then, with a small flick with his toe, he also fooled Fujinaga, who tried to sneak with a humiliating nutmeg.

"Oh! Damn!"

"That’s how you do it! Show ’em the spirit of Niigata, Brat!"

"Yeah! Bring back our dignity!"

The crowd went crazy after they saw this sequence of moves. Makino, on the other hand, felt his heart sink, having an instinct that this was going to be troublesome.

"Takaaki, drop back! Just slow him down, and don’t let him get to you!" The captain commanded. "Let’s encircle him!"

"Yes, Sir!"

It was a fine plan, with the aim of pushing Riku to the edge of the pitch. No matter how dangerous his dribble was, once he was forced to the edge, everything would be manageable. This was the best scenario possible, and even if the boy wanted to pass the ball, the defensive layer was still quite tight, and it wouldn’t be easy for Echigo’s other players to get through them.

However, Riku made another jaw-dropping move again next.

Being surrounded by both players, he was still quite calm, rolling the ball back with his sole before dancing with a quick spin to evade his two pursuers. Makino and Takaaki were so caught off guard that they collided into each other the next second.

BAM!

"FUCK!"

"AAH!"

Unfortunately, no matter how much in pain they portrayed themselves to be, the referee shook his head decisively, knowing that no foul was committed from this collision. No, if anything, he should’ve just given the foul to Echigo’s new boy, knowing that he was initially going to be the victim.

Riku himself had no time dwelling on something that had already passed. No, after that, he used his full speed and wonderful dribble to shake the entire Hakodate defense.

Facing Jun, who was trying to help, the boy just shook his shoulder a little as a feint, and it was enough to get him past that clumsy defender.

Denji was about to come next with Ishinori sneaking from behind, but this time, Riku was smarter. After dribbling through four players in one go, the boy didn’t stick with his ego, passing the ball to the attacking midfielder next to him before pointing his finger forward.

Well, that midfielder didn’t need to be told twice, as in the next second, he launched a chip pass straight above everyone’s head, and before anyone could react, Riku was already ahead of all of Hakodate’s defensive line, and facing the goalkeeper head-on, in the next second...

Thud!