Chapter 19: The Black Kallor

Chapter 19 - The Black KallorAll the players moved into their positions, appearing ready for the big final. Haruma, visibly nervous, turned to the coach, "We must've prepared any strategy for him, right?" The coach shook his head in denial, "We had no idea about him, we only learned about him a few hours back" He exhaled sharply, his voice tight, "And that's exactly what Ryugen high planned. They kept this monster in the dark, they didn't hype him up! In all the qualifiers, only eight shots were taken at him which he stopped... but in his last three games, thirty three shots were taken at him, and he stopped them all!" Haruma's eyes widened, his breath hitching as he stared at that monster who was still standing with his arms spread wide like he owned the field. The ball lay still at Toru's feets, whose eyes were closed, as if he were drawing all his focus into the moment. The stage was set, the stadium was thick with silence, every eyes fixed on the game, anticipation building in the air. 'Welcome everyone to the finals of the All-School Cup, a tournament where we craft the future of Japanese football' One of the two commentators announced enthusiastically... ( '' These will be used for commentary ) As the referee blew the whistle, Toru's eyes snapped open, and without a second thought he sharply turned towards the opposing nets and in a flash he surged forward, racing towards it. The Hanaka crowds burst into loud cheers, echoing all around the stadium. 'The striker, Toru, isn't wasting any time, he's going for the nets already!' Toru was fearlessly charging towards the nets, dribbling past through the defending gates with skillful precision. Haruma and the coach were watching Toru with wide surprised eyes, While Rukia appeared nervous. As Toru was closing in on the nets, one of defenders swiftly appeared before Toru aiming to make a tackle, But Toru set with intense determination flicked the ball between the defender's legs, collecting it from the other side. The crowd gasped, their eyes shining in admiration. Now coming one on one, Toru's eyes burned with focus, meeting the intense gaze of goalkeeper Kurogami, who stood firm, staring deep into Toru's soul. While sprinting, Toru with intense determination, tapped the ball lightly upwards before swinging his foot at its full force. His foot struck the ball with immense power, sending it flying towards the top right corner of the nets. The crowds rose to their feets, their eyes locked on the ball, while the commentators waited in eager anticipation. The ball rocketed towards its target, but suddenly time seemed to slow down. In a heartbeat a hand shot out between the ball and the nets. Revealing Kurogami with a breath taking leap, his body soaring through the air, his both arms outstretched at its limits, his face etched with intense focus. Toru was gazing at Kurogami's incredible leap with wide stunned eyes. Haruma was standing frozen in disbelief, his eyes wide, sweat pouring down his forehead, gazing at the unbelievable leap of Kurogami. In a flash, time snapped back to normal and Kurogami caught the ball mid-air just before crashing on the ground, and in a swift roll he sprang back on his feets in no time, holding the ball tightly in his hands. 'He stopped it!' 'Kurogami stopped the canon!' Toru was stunned, gazing at Kurogami with his eyes wide with shock, while Kurogami was shooting him a sharp, serious gaze. Spotting his teammate nearby, Kurogami casually tossed the ball to his feets, who collected it and moved on. Rukia remained still in shock, her gaze fixed on Toru, who was still standing in his place. "How can he stop that!" One of her friends exclaimed, clearly astonished. "That might be the first time I've seen Toru's shot being stopped like that!" another friend exclaimed. Rukia, however, stayed quiet, gazing at Toru with worry creeping in her eyes. "Father, he was like a superhero!" Mio remarked with a smile, sitting a bit away from Rukia's seat. Mio's father, Kento, was watching the game with a focused gaze, "Indeed, it's unbelievable how fast and accurately he moved." Haruma's mother was watching the match with a look of concern, her eyes fixed intently on the game... As the game progressed, one of the Hanaka had the ball which he passed to another player who began advancing cautiously, noticing opposing players around him, he sent a beautiful pass ahead which was collected by Shino, his face set with determination. "I have to step up," Shino thought. "If I can make a perfect assist to Toru, I'm sure he'll score!" his eyes darted desperately across the field, trying to figure out the positioning. With swift feet, he pushed the ball forward, heading towards the nets, when out of nowhere a defender appeared blocking his path. Shino froze, his eyes wide, startled by the sudden challenge. As that defender lunged forward for a tackle, Shino displayed his flawless footwork by sidestepping and surging past that defender, earning a big roar of cheers from the crowds. 'Wow! That was a display of some serious skills by Shino, he's going for the nets!'l he's going for the nets!" Shino, with his face set with intense determination sprinted towards the nets. Meanwhile that defender with blank expressions glanced over his shoulder watching Shino heading towards the net. Haruma was watching the scene with wide confused eyes, "Shino was that fast?" his mind raced "No... to me it looked like the defender just let him go!" Shino, charging with the ball, spotted Toru near the nets, who gave him a confident nod. Fueled with determination Shino launched a long pass towards Toru. The ball was sailing through the air with Toru getting in position to control it, but suddenly, a defender came jumping, intercepting the pass with a powerful header just before it could reach Toru. The ball landed at the feets of a Ryugen player who was about to charge forward with the ball, but suddenly Masaru stormed in fiercely tackling the ball, causing the ball to slide away from both of them. As the ball rolled into the open, the Hanaka winger surged forward ready to fire it towards the nets, but suddenly a furious voice cut through the air. "Nooo! give it to Toruuuu!" It was Shino. The winger's gaze snapped on Toru, who was positioned not far from the nets. Without wasting any another second he deftly passed the ball straight to Toru's feet. All the Hanaka crowds rose to their feets in anticipation, their eyes locked on Toru. With his back to the net, Toru slightly placed his feet under the ball, tapping it up into the air. Then with a powerful leap, he twisted mid-air, positioning himself for a perfectly bicycle kick. The crowds held their breaths, watching Toru's beautiful form in the air. Rukia watched with eager anticipation her eyes fixed on Toru, while her friends' eyes were sparkling with admiration. However, Haruma was watching with stunned silence, his eyes opened wide. Toru's foot struck the ball with deadly precision sending it hurtling towards the nets where the Black Kallor stood! Kurogami dived into the air with his one arm outstretched, deflecting the ball with a tap of his hand, sending it back to the game. Both Toru and Kurogami crashed on ground at the same time, the only difference was Kurogami rolled and stood back up in no time, while Toru kept lying on ground staring at Kurogami in utter disbelief. Ryugen crowds burst into a roar of celebrations, while Hanaka crowds seemed frozen with a mix of shock and frustration. Kurogami with a serious face, causally passed the ball to his teammate who resumed the game. Haruma was staring at Kurogami with wide, stunned eyes, "That was some heck of a reflex!" he thought. Rukia's gaze dropped in disappointment. The crowds around her sinked back on their seats, heavy with frustration. "How could he stop that!" One of Rukia's friends shouted, frustration raw in her voice "He must be cheating! no one can stop Toru's shots like that!" Another friend added, her words heavy with frustration. Shino rushed over, and helped Toru to his feet, "You Okay?" he asked with a steady voice. Toru stood with a hand of Shino, he nodded, still dazed, "Everything was true! He really is a keeper no striker would ever want to face!" Shino nodded firmly, "Yeah, but we have to find a way! He's a human too. He can't just stop every shot, we should keep trying!" Toru clenched his fist in fury, "Yeah! Until the very last second! I'll keep attacking him until he regrets standing there!" Meanwhile The black Kallor, Kurogami Shikyo stood unfazed, his cold and serious gaze remained locked on the game ahead