The Rise of the Iron Wall!-Chapter 19: American-Style Penalty!

American-style penalty.

Most people treated it as an urban legend, something that was not real, and the Americans used it only to hype up their football community. In reality, though... Well... It was a half-truth and half-false statement.

It was definitely a thing, a rule that was used in the first couple of years after the MLS, the football league in America, was formed. The purpose was indeed to hype up the football there, as the American people didn’t like a slow-paced sport with a lack of action. Well... That, or they didn’t have the attention span for it.

The rule itself was simple. It was a one-on-one battle between the goalkeeper and the opponent’s attacker. It started with the attacker possessing the ball about 35 meters from the goal. They would have 5 seconds to take the shot, and the goalkeeper was allowed to come off their line to challenge the attacker immediately as long as they didn’t leave the penalty box.

"So, basically, the rule will give you freedom to act, allowing you to cover a larger area. However, the attacker will also have the same freedom, and they can use everything in their arsenal to make a point against you. Any question?" Kumiko turned her head after giving such a long question about the rule. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

However, as she saw Higo with blank eyes, losing his focus, the girl let out a deep sigh, knowing that her explanation didn’t stick in his head as she hoped.

"...To put it simply, your task is the same: stop the attacker from scoring the goal, but you cannot leave the penalty box. Do you understand?"

"Ah, that’s simple, huh?!" He widened his eyes in realization. "Why would you say that from the beginning?"

Kumiko had the corner of her mouth twitching madly. ’How could I be his best friend for so many years?’ She grumbled grumpily. "Anyway, just go! Be careful, because they can be quite harsh!" She pushed Higo back to the pitch.

There, his four opponents were ready, standing so mighty as if they were his executioners today. Their grin was menacing enough to make a baby cry. Punching his fist to relax himself, Higo took a deep breath, shouting, "Okay, I am ready!"

"Oh? Good! Then, I will be first!" Ojiro grinned, controlling the ball with his left foot. "Kumiko, blow the whistle!" He shouted.

Fwiiii!

Right after the whistle was blown, the bald boy pushed the ball forward, dribbling the ball as quickly as possible. It was a sloppy dribble, with each touch only making the ball run so far away from his grasp. It was clear at this point that Ojiro wasn’t a dribbler like Hiroshi.

Higo took a light breath for a moment, and tension seemed to ebb away from his shoulder. However, before he could truly relax, his clairvoyance ability flared once again, and he had his eyes widened instantly.

’Oh, shit!’

"TAKE THIS SHIT, BRAT!"

BAM!

Even though he was still 25 meters away from the goal, Ojiro didn’t hesitate to launch a rocket shot from his position. It rushed like a bullet, flying straight to Higo’s body. Fortunately, he moved his hands slightly upward, covering his chest before it could get hit. If not for his supernatural ability, the boy was so sure that he wouldn’t be able to react, and the ball would knock him out instantly.

"FUCK! THAT’S MY FUCKING ROCKET! HOW COULD YOU STOP THAT SO EASILY?!" Ojiro roared furiously, staring at Higo in disbelief. While the direction was weak, at least, he put all of his strength there, so to see Higo didn’t feel any pain was a stab on his pride.

"Hmm... Not bad, not bad... It seems you really have something here." Junya nodded in appreciation.

Higo himself just shook his hands; numbness spread through his entire upper limbs. ’Fuck it! Who would’ve thought that he has this fucking rocket in his arsenal?’ He cursed inwardly. ’Fortunately, I am still able to react, or I will be their laughing stock just from that!’

"You okay?" Miyashi suddenly asked, showing his concern.

"Don’t worry, everything is under control here." Higo sent a thumbs-up, which only infuriated Ojiro more.

"What do you mean it is under your control?! Does that mean my shot is too weak for you to take it seriously?!"

Higo just facepalmed, while Miyashi shook his head in amusement. "Okay, it’s my turn now." He announced himself. "Just for you, from one goalkeeper to another, I will take it easy, okay?"

"Oh, well, thank you, Senpai!" Higo was touched. Out of anyone else, Miyoshi was definitely the most approachable senpai here, which made it easy for him to think of the man in a good light.

True enough, the next turn was easy for Higo, with no deception here. It was clear that Miyashi wanted to replicate Ojiro’s long shot, but he lacked the power and accuracy, and as a result, the ball flew high above the goal without him having to interfere.

"Tch! Useless, you both!" Junya scoffed in disdain. "This is the American-style penalty. Why would you try to shoot from afar? Let me show you how you should’ve done it!"

With confidence, the bun-haired boy started dribbling the ball forward. This time, Higo narrowed his eyes sharply, seeing that the man had a good dribbling ability. Oh, well... Or at least that was what he thought.

He himself was still new to this sport, so he didn’t know what could be considered good dribbling. However, Junya’s set of movements was so similar to Hiroshi’s that Higo couldn’t help but take two steps forward, trying to close the distance.

’Now, this is getting more serious.’

As Junya got closer, Higo was also on the edge of the box, following his senpai’s movement slowly while also trying his best to anticipate what came next. Fortunately, his clairvoyance ability popped in the best moment, as when he saw the smirk on Junya’s face, Higo turned around immediately, starting to rush back to his goal while also glancing at the sky in panic.

Thud!

"Shit! How could he predict that shot?!"

"That is a perfect lob! Is he deliberately moving forward to trick Junya into doing so?"

"No, he has no experience at all other than the game two days ago; there is no way he would be able to do that!"

Junya himself was so stunned. He watched as Higo was running frantically, racing with the ball for who would reach the goal line first. This time, Higo was slower for one second, but his luck was still great. Instead of falling straight to the net, the ball hit the crossbar, and the loud sound of the metal getting hit rang loudly on the pitch.

Clank!

’Damn, that was so close!’ Higo panted heavily. Even if he had only faced three shots so far, he felt way more exhausted than usual, finding this to be mentally taxing. ’Fortunately, with three downs, I only have to stop the last player, huh?’

This time, his excitement rose to its peak as he watched the last person to come forward with the ball. ’The last one is that Teme, huh? Let’s put on a big show here, hehehe...’