"Seiho has changed their formation."
"This lineup… Are they planning to focus on defense in the third quarter? But if they do that, the score gap will only grow even larger!"
The formation Seiho took at the start of the third quarter immediately stirred discussion among the audience.
Even the commentators in the stands were thrown off.
"Strange… What is Seiho's coach thinking? Sure, Seiho's defense is strong, but this setup will only widen the gap!"
Kise Ryouta and the others watching from the stands were likewise confused.
Everyone knew Seiho's defense was strong.
Especially with Akashi Asuka guarding the paint.
Even teams with members of the Generation of Miracles struggled to break Seiho's defense.
But no matter how strong Seiho was, they couldn't completely shut out Rakuzan's scoring.
And if their offense weakened too much, scoring on Rakuzan would become nearly impossible.
If this continued, not only would they fail to close the gap, they might not even maintain the current difference.
"But keeping things as-is is pointless too, right? Even if Seiho can keep the score difference stable because of Asuka, as long as the rest of the team can't deal with those three Uncrowned Kings, they'll never win." Aomine Daiki said calmly.
"A-Ah Daiki… You're saying… Seiho has the confidence to handle all three Uncrowned Kings at once!?" Satsuki Momoi exclaimed.
Aomine stretched, arms behind his head, eyes narrowing toward Akashi Asuka on the court.
"Who knows. I just don't think that guy is the type to give up that easily."
============
"Still trying after all this time? You're not giving up yet?"
Rakuzan opened the third quarter with possession. Hayama Kotaro dribbled up the court, once again facing Tsugawa Tomoki.
"You're not even close to making me give up!" Tsugawa declared openly.
"This guy… is really getting on my nerves."
A throbbing anger mark practically appeared on Hayama's forehead.
Then, CRACK, his dribbling exploded like thunder. Using all five fingers, Hayama unleashed his terrifying lightning-like dribble, slicing through Tsugawa's defense.
He slipped past half the distance,
But this time, Tsugawa reacted.
A sudden pivot, and a hard cut back.
It was like he left an afterimage behind. In an instant, he appeared at Hayama's side.
"This guy!"
Hayama's expression tightened.
Tsugawa still couldn't completely shut down Hayama's dribble from the side, but compared to before, his reaction was much faster.
Approaching the paint, Hayama pulled back, dodging Tsugawa, then flicked the ball upward.
But the moment the ball left his fingertips,
"Hayama, watch out!!" Nebuya Eikichi roared.
SMACK!
A massive hand came crashing down from above, swatting away the ball before it could rise.
Tch, I got careless. Didn't track him.
Hayama's chest tightened.
Kasuga Ryuhei immediately took the blocked ball and launched a counterattack.
"Iwamura!"
Kasuga shouted, hurling the ball forward with all his power.
Akashi Asuka was currently focusing on defense, his attention locked on the paint and Akashi Seijuro.
He didn't need to score right now.
He only needed to shut down Seijuro.
Tsutomu Iwamura once again faced Nebuya in the post.
"What are you even trying to do? You should know this is meaningless."
SMACK!
Nebuya blocked Iwamura's shot with a single slap, reclaiming possession for Rakuzan.
Imayoshi Reo received the ball on the outside.
Kasuga alone stepped in to defend.
Reo lifted the ball as if preparing to shoot.
Kasuga immediately closed in.
But at that exact moment, Reo, who looked like he jumped, suddenly landed again and barreled toward Kasuga.
Just a little more and he would have drawn a foul,
Kasuga slid back at the last possible moment.
He hadn't jumped either, he had faked it.
"'Earth Shot'… was seen through?"
To an outsider, it looked like Kasuga just got lucky.
But for some reason, Reo suddenly felt something else:
It wasn't luck.
"If 'Earth Shot' won't work… then I'll just go for 'Heaven Shot' and score from above…"
Reo shifted seamlessly into his back-jump shooting posture.
But before he could jump, Kasuga stepped forward and cut off the angle.
"Even the 'Heaven Shot'…?"
Both of Reo's main shooting styles shut down.
The two locked into a glaring standoff.
Kasuga's concentration was at its peak.
In pure physical ability, Seiho's third-years weren't far behind the Uncrowned Kings.
They lacked something different:
Innate rhythm. Natural feel. Instinct.
That was a gap that couldn't be trained away.
But,
There was something else.
Experience.
You couldn't learn how to counter a technique until you faced it, repeatedly and directly.
That was why Matsumoto Yukinori had started the third quarter by giving Kasuga, Tsugawa, and Iwamura five minutes to fight freely.
Not to score.
Not to win.
To adapt.
Kasuga stared into Reo's eyes.
Reo stared back.
"…If 'Heaven' and 'Earth' won't work, then I'll show you the third one."
His body moved as soon as he thought it.
Kasuga reached out to stop him,
, but half a step in, his body suddenly froze, like his limbs were struck by paralysis.
But instead of panicking,
Kasuga's eyes lit up.
"So it's finally here? I've been waiting for this one."
Reo didn't notice.
Seeing Kasuga freeze, he leapt, releasing the ball,
But the instant the ball left his fingertips,
A hand appeared right in front of his eyes.
In that instant,
Reo's pupils contracted violently.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria