Super Wingstorm

"Beat him... Beat him... Go on, beat him!"

"Nice! He’s past him again!"

"Another Pendulum Move, and it was gorgeous."

"Too bad Henk Demyer’s been so off his game today. He got the pass but didn’t return it right away, wasting that Chinese kid’s sprint. It would have been a perfect one-two otherwise."

"I told you, that kid from China is fast."

"Who would’ve thought? The liveliest player in this match turned out to be the sub."

...

The fans on the sidelines chattered excitedly, but on the pitch, Yang Yang felt a little dejected.

Just a moment ago, he’d used the Pendulum Move to dribble past the opposing left midfielder. He then crossed the ball to Henk Demyer before the Omni-Bass left-back could challenge him, and sprinted forward for the return pass. But the captain failed to grasp his intention. He chose to take it on himself, only to lose possession and allow the opponent a counter-attack.

Yang Yang was caught up in the mess. The attack had fizzled out, and he was forced to sprint sixty meters all the way back to defend his own penalty box.

When he saw Dick Van Puer on the sideline, arms spread wide in anger, shouting at Henk Demyer and demanding to know why he hadn’t made a diagonal pass toward the byline for Yang Yang, he felt a lot better.

In that situation, anyone would have known to play the ball into the space behind the defense to leverage Yang Yang’s speed. Once he reached the byline, he would have had plenty of options.

Henk Demyer’s decision to go it alone instead of passing meant one of two things: either he was mentally off-kilter and desperate to make up for his lackluster performance, or he didn’t want Yang Yang stealing his spotlight again.

Of course, it could have been both.

But regardless, the game went on.

Following another tactical adjustment from head coach Dick Van Puer, Baken Academy’s attacks started to favor the right flank.

Although Yang Yang was a right-back, he was given license to push forward and join the attack more often.

He had come on as a sub with plenty of stamina, and he tore up and down the right flank, holding nothing back. Aided by his God’s Vision, his runs were simple: he either exploited gaps in the opponent’s formation or sprinted in behind the defenders to demand the ball.

These were all basic off-the-ball running techniques, but they were giving the two Omni-Bass players on the left flank absolute hell.

Never mind the left-back who had played nearly the whole match—even the freshly substituted left midfielder couldn’t keep up with Yang Yang’s relentless shuttle runs. He lost him several times, allowing Yang to get on the ball.

The moment he got the ball, Yang Yang completely forgot he was a right-back. It was as if he’d sprouted wings as he flew forward.

Whenever he found himself in a one-on-one, he didn’t hesitate to take on his man. He used the Pendulum Move from Ronaldo’s Rush again and again, using the Omni-Bass defenders as whetstones to sharpen and refine his technique. The results were far better than what he got in the Super Training.

At the very least, every time he heard the cheers from the sidelines, Yang Yang was thrilled. He felt completely fired up.

...

...

John Reep sat back down on the bench, but his eyes remained fixed on Yang Yang.

Perhaps it was because he’d been sidelined for nearly a year, but now that he finally had a chance to play, Yang Yang was performing with incredible fervor.

If the most dynamic player in the first hour had been Omni-Bass’s number seven, their left midfielder, then for the final thirty minutes, the spotlight was fixed on Yang Yang on Baken Academy’s right flank.

The kid from China had truly astonished him. He was, without a doubt, Baken Academy’s biggest surprise and takeaway from this match.

John Reep had noticed Yang Yang’s recent intensive training, but he never expected him to improve so much, so quickly. If he could maintain this momentum, he would absolutely have a place on Almere’s first team in the future.

More importantly, John Reep felt he needed to re-evaluate the Chinese player—not just his ability and potential, but also his position on the pitch.

"His offensive drive is just too strong," John Reep said with a sigh.

Dick Van Puer nodded. "And that’s not a good thing for a defender."

A defender’s primary duty is defense. A defender with too much attacking desire often becomes a defensive liability.

Based on his second-half performance as a substitute, Yang Yang’s defending was decent. He had good stamina, making him well-suited for a full-back role. However, he was also excellent on the attack, especially with his Pendulum Move, which had an extremely high success rate. But that seemed to be his only trick, and his ball handling on several occasions revealed his poor fundamentals.

’What was going on here?’

Dick Van Puer was so vexed he felt like tearing his hair out.

"Let’s just watch him for a while longer," John Reep said, equally perplexed. He was finding it harder and harder to figure Yang Yang out.

...

...

In the eighty-seventh minute of the match, Yang Yang broke through on the right flank once more. After using the Pendulum Move to beat his defender again, he sent a forty-five-degree cross toward the near post.

A Baken Academy forward darted in and met the ball with a close-range header, but it grazed the post and went wide.

That was Baken Academy’s last real threat of the match.

Yang Yang’s series of successful dribbles earned him another wave of thunderous applause from the fans, but it wasn’t enough to prevent his team’s defeat.

In the end, Baken Academy lost 1-2 at home to their cross-town rivals, Omni-Bass.

When the final whistle blew, a sweat-drenched Yang Yang slowly walked over to his uncle, Shen Ming, and his family at the edge of the pitch. Many of the Baken Academy fans gave him a warm round of applause. Two students from the elementary school division even rushed onto the field to ask for his autograph, filling Yang Yang with a powerful sense of satisfaction.

’Man, it feels so good to be recognized and supported!’

"My boy, you played great!" his uncle, Shen Ming, said, giving his nephew a light punch on the arm as he approached.

Watching Yang Yang’s performance on the pitch had gotten him all worked up on the sidelines. He felt so proud.

"I think I played a bit above my usual level today," Yang Yang said with a chuckle.

He wasn’t being modest; it was the truth.

Coming on as a sub, he had the advantage in stamina. Plus, he’d spent an hour on the sidelines studying the opposition, so he had a clear picture of what he was up against. It was only natural that he felt comfortable once he got on the pitch.

"Keep playing like this, and I’m sure you’ll be able to stay at Almere," Shen Ming encouraged.

It was just one academy match, so it didn’t mean much, but a man has to have hope.

While talking with his uncle and cousin, Yang Yang noticed first-team head coach John Reep in the distance, speaking with a middle-aged man and woman. He was stunned to see that the Dutch man was the same person he had met at the skate park that morning.

’So he really does know John Reep. But who is he?’

...

...

After the gloating Omni-Bass team left with their three points, Dick Van Puer gathered all his players.

The Baken Academy head coach laid into everyone, furious that they had completely forgotten his pre-match instructions the moment they stepped on the pitch. He raged that they had been completely dominated by Omni-Bass, especially in the midfield and up front.

"Your organization and your attack were both absolute dogshit."

After getting that off his chest, Van Puer specifically singled out the substitute, Yang Yang, for praise.

"I’m very happy to see your progress. It’s a reward for all your hard work recently. I expect you to keep it up and try to maintain today’s level of performance in future matches."

Yang Yang smiled and nodded firmly. He knew this meant he would get more playing time in the future.

’Both the starting and substitute right-backs are injured, so it looks like this temp job is going to continue. But as long as the coach keeps giving me the freedom he gave me today, it doesn’t really matter if I’m not playing up front.’

However, the group of players led by Henk Demyer who had previously looked down on him looked furious upon hearing Van Puer’s words. They all understood the coach’s implication but were powerless to do anything about it.

Arguably, Baken Academy’s best player in the match was Yang Yang. In fact, Henk Demyer probably had Yang Yang’s assist to thank for not being singled out for criticism by the head coach.

His continued inclusion on the match roster wasn’t just a necessity due to the team’s injuries; it was a reward Yang Yang had earned.

...

...

After the team was dismissed, everyone went home with their parents, but Yang Yang didn’t rest.

After a word with his uncle, he juggled a ball all the way south to the skate park to continue his fundamental training.

He had only played for half an hour, which wasn’t much of a workout, and he was far from satisfied. Besides, Old Ice already had a post-match analysis ready for him, specifically pointing out the many mistakes he’d made during the game and offering suggestions for improvement.

"I only played for thirty minutes, but I feel like I learned more than I have in ages from training," Yang Yang said, marveling. "My understanding of everything is on another level now, and I have a much better feel for using my skills." This was truly how he felt.

"That’s only natural," Old Ice affirmed, his tone unusually calm. "A real match is fast-paced, tense, and exciting in a way that even the Super Training can’t fully simulate. All the grueling training, day in and day out, is just accumulation for you to unleash it all in those short ninety minutes. The rewards you reap are naturally beyond anything you can get from regular practice."

"So, you think I should add more match-focused training?" Yang Yang asked with a grin.

He was getting a taste for competition.

Old Ice didn’t object. "Your fundamentals are still terrible, so you must keep up with your basic training. But since you’ll be playing in more matches, I will adjust your regimen to include more specialized, match-focused training. For Ronaldo’s Rush, in particular, you need to master all the techniques and variations of the Pendulum Move as quickly as possible."

"Got it," Yang Yang replied, his mouth breaking into a wide grin.

He was growing more and more confident about his development. He could almost see his future unfolding before him.

’If Almere really makes it to the Eerste Divisie this season, will I have a chance to play there next season?’