Another 133: Swallow counter

A HIGH FLOATING BALL IS, SLOWLY BUT DANGEROUSLY, HEADED TOWARDS TOHO'S GOAL...


WAKASHIMAZU IS COMING BACK AS FAST AS HE CAN, IS HE GOING TO MAKE IT!?

Just focus on your run, Ken! You don't need to look up at the ball...

HE'S DIVING... AH!! INCREDIBLE! HE'S CATCHING THE FALLING BALL COMING FROM BEHIND HIM WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT IT!

Once Wakashimazu is in the zone, it's almost impossible for him to leave it! As long as it's for seeing the
ball, he's got an out of body field of vision in that state!!

BUT ISN'T HE GOING TO ENTER IN THE GOAL WITH THE BALL WITH SUCH A DIVE? AH, NO, HE'S PUTTING THE BALL ON THE GROUND, PUSHING WITH ALL HIS WEIGHT, STOPPING THE BALL BEFORE THE LINE AND DOING A SOMERSAULT IN THE PROCESS...


THEN, FALLING IN THE GOAL NET, HE'S USING IT...


TO SPRING BACK TOWARDS THE BALL AND CLEARING IT FAR AWAY!! NICE DEFENSE FROM TOHO'S KEEPER!


That's when the 3 forwards, our first layer of defense, is useful! We have more chances to pick up
cleared balls like this...

We still have numerical superiority, more experience and stamina...

TOHO WON THE FIGHT FOR THE CONTROL OF THE BALL, AND THEY SENT IT TO THEIR ACE STRIKER, HYUGA...!! AH, BUT TSUBASA IS HERE TO BLOCK HIS SHOT!!


AS A RESULT, THE BALL IS FLYING HIGH IN THE SKY!! THEY REALLY WENT ALL OUT!!


AND THEY ARE BOTH JUMPING ON THE FALLING BALL!! THEIR DUEL IS ONCE AGAIN, EVEN!!

Their legs must be numb and yet, they're jumping so high!

STILL, THE BALL IS FALLING NEAR HYUGA AND... AH, BUT HE'S RAISING HIS LEG... IS HE GOING FOR A BACK HEEL PASS!?

!? What...!?

AH, NO HE ISN'T PASSING THE BALL WITH THE SOLE OF HIS FOOT, IT WAS A FEINT...!

And thanks to this feint, his leg swing is also wider!

AFTER SWINGING HIS LEG FROM THE FRONT ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK, HYUGA IS SWINGING HIS LEG FORWARD AGAIN, HITTING THE BALL!!

A feint, improving his shooting power with a motion similar to a swallow's tail...!! Swallow counter*!

TSUBASA IS EXTENDING HIS LEG TO BLOCK IT!! HE'S TOUCHING IT BUT...!! HIS SOCK IS RIPPED APART!!

I can't believe his reaction time...!!

BUT MORISAKI IS MANAGING TO REACT ON TIME!! HE'S MANAGING TO CATCH THIS BALL!!

Kojiro made up for his numbness with this leg swing... But it was nullified by Tsubasa's partial block!

AH, BUT MORISAKI IS IMMEDIATELY THROWING THE BALL, HE ISN'T TRYING TO WASTE TIME EVEN THOUGH THE FIRST HALF OF EXTRA TIME IS ALMOST OVER! AH, THAT'S BECAUSE TSUBASA WENT UP!! THE LAST ATTACK OF THIS FIRST HALF WILL BE FOR NANKATSU!!


BUT HYUGA CAME BACK TOO! HE'S TRYING TO TAKE THE BALL WITH HIS DIVING TACKLE!! BUT TSUBASA IS DODGING IT WHILE CONTROLLING THE BALL COMING FROM BEHIND!!

N... No way!!

SAWADA IS TACKLING TOWARDS TSUBASA'S FALLING POINT... BUT THE LATTER IS KICKING THE BALL DURING HIS JUMP IN MID AIR!! A JUMPING...

And my leg... Is already fine! No numbness anymore!

DRIVE... VOLLEY SHOT!!


WAKASHIMAZU IS JUMPING ON THE CORRECT SIDE!! IS HE GOING TO...

No way!! With the numbness in my hands, I won't be able to properly...
* The "swallow counter" or "Tsubame gaeshi" was the fighting style, resembling the motion of a swallow's tail, developped by Sasaki Kojiro, a famous samurai and rival of Miyamoto Musashi. It is said he managed to kill a swallow in flight with that style. It is also the name of a throw in karate.