The tens of seconds of rest passed quickly, and the second quarter began.
Yuuto and Aomine didn't rest; they stayed on the court.
Although they played a fierce half-quarter, they barely participated in defense and offense at the end (of the quarter?), so there was no problem with stamina.
First possession.
Imayoshi Shoichi repeated his old trick, looking like he was setting up Aomine, but actually attacking himself.
Ryuhei Kasuga didn't fall for it.
He trusted Yuuto 100%.
"Pass if you want, cut the boring stuff."
Completely unguarded against the pass.
If you have the guts, give the ball to Aomine; their King would solve that monster.
"So composed." Imayoshi smiled without mirth.
If one plan failed, he had another.
This guy, whose grasp of players' psychology was incredibly precise, could always find a way.
He drove with the ball, actively leaning toward Tsugawa Tomoki's direction. After attracting Tsugawa's attention, he decisively passed the ball to Ryo Sakurai.
Swish!
The former Hozumi Academy starting shooting guard's shot was fast and accurate; he sank a three-pointer without hesitation.
"Sumimasen~ (I'm sorry~)" He was still the same, liking to apologize to people after scoring.
Tsugawa Tomoki, the buzz-cut guy, felt he had met his match today.
Not difficult in terms of strength.
An apology after scoring was much more sophisticated than those trash talks full of filth.
Tsugawa almost got angry.
But he soon laughed, his smile "sunny" and "cheerful."
He said to Sakurai, "Your three-pointer is so strong!"
Now it was Sakurai's turn to not know how to respond.
...
"Individual ability?"
Yuuto could guess Tōō's plan roughly.
Reduce Aomine's offensive possessions and incidentally let other players adapt to Seiho's Lightning Run.
Without the intelligence advantage, the advantage of Seiho's Lightning Run stood out instead.
Tōō needed some time to adapt.
"These powerhouses really aren't simple." Teppei Kiyoshi sighed with emotion.
Seiho's footwork, Shutoku's tactics, Tōō's individual ability...
These teams all had their own characteristics and advantages.
In contrast, their Seirin really only had a mouthful of hot blood—this intangible thing supporting them.
"But Tōō has that female spy's intel. They know Seiho's Lightning Run like the back of their hands. Tōō can adapt in a very short time."
"Normally that's true, but what we can see, Yuuto won't miss."
"True. I wonder what he'll do."
Seirin's crowd was staring at Yuuto.
This Lion King never let his opponents have their way.
They wanted to see what action Yuuto would take in such a situation.
They indeed saw Yuuto's action, and it was extremely convenient.
When Ryuhei Kasuga prepared to dribble past half-court, Yuuto actively reached out for the ball in the backcourt.
Then.
One step past the center circle, he suddenly gathered the ball.
"Gathering at that spot?"
"What does he want to do?"
The three Generation of Miracles in the third-floor stands were stunned simultaneously.
Akashi opened his eyes wide, watching the breathing of Yuuto's muscles and skin, then widened his eyes abruptly.
"Impossible!"
He almost blurted it out, filled with deep shock.
There were definitely few things that could shock this young master of the Akashi conglomerate, but his expression was especially shaken at this moment.
"Little Yuuto is going to shoot from that spot?" Kise Ryota also saw it.
Not a bluff; he was really going to shoot.
They watched helplessly as Yuuto gathered the ball and jumped one step past the center circle.
Although he couldn't cover the entire court with his range like Midorima yet.
The specialization of the Bible of the Star was enough for Yuuto to maintain an extremely high shooting percentage near mid-court.
"Half-court three-pointer?!"
Imayoshi Shoichi couldn't smile on the spot; his expression froze there, his narrowed eyes opening completely.
Yuuto had never attempted such a shooting method before.
But...
"Little Midorima?"
"It will go in!"
Midorima squeezed these words out almost through gritted teeth.
That perfect shooting posture, the amplitude of the wrist flick, the angle of the basketball's flight after release.
Everything was so perfect.
This was the ultimate shooting rhythm he pursued in every match.
Swish!
The ball really went in.
A super-long three-pointer from the logo position. The basketball plunged into the net like a meteor, splashing up a huge white wave.
"Continue, Aomine." He spoke lightly, his voice cold as ice, not pointing out Tōō's plan.
This persona of his was just that cold.
The scene was quiet for a moment, then erupted with a massive wave of sound.
The North stand was particularly loud.
"Sure enough, it's not that simple..." Katsunori Harasawa sighed silently.
Although Yuuto said nothing, he knew Yuuto had seen through their intent. And he didn't intend to let Tōō follow their game plan.
"In a match against Yuuto, don't fantasize that the game will follow your plan." Masaaki Nakatani spoke expressionlessly. "That child's basketball IQ is very, very high."
"But encouraging players to exert their own characteristics is what Harasawa is good at... I don't think the impact will be huge." Riko Aida thought the impact wouldn't be big.
"You'll know if you keep watching." Nakatani didn't explain.
Yuuto's tactic had been issued.
Naturally, Aomine wouldn't refuse.
He took over Tōō's ball possession again, but the situation didn't look good.
Patterns seen by Yuuto would lose their effect; Aomine also felt his scoring becoming difficult.
This feeling was exactly the same as last year.
Burp!
Aomine still scored 2 points, throwing the ball into the hoop like a sniper while almost stepping on the baseline.
The score remained anxious, hard to pull apart.
"But only temporarily."
"Now Yuuto holds the initiative."
Just as Akashi said, Yuuto held the initiative now.
He pushed with the ball from the backcourt, and Aomine had to defend him full-court.
This was treatment only Midorima deserved.
"Range reaching half the court; the closer to the three-point line, the more accurate... Moreover, Yu's..."
Trouble.
When Yuuto possessed Midorima's range from a year ago, Momoi already foresaw the subsequent match picture.
Yuuto used the three-pointer as a threat to force Aomine to stick close, and consequently, preparation against drives would be insufficient.
Just as this thought appeared, Yuuto on the court had already accelerated to break through.
A directional change one step to the right, followed by a display of pure stats; he rampaged toward Tōō's paint.
"Tch! This guy!" Aomine had no good solution for this.
Yuuto's release speed was very, very fast—faster than Sakurai.
If he moved a bit slow, the ball might already be in the air.
Aomine exploded with full speed to chase. The two shuttled through the court as golden and black lights.
Screech~
Screech~
They arrived at the free-throw line one after another and slammed on the brakes simultaneously.
Terrifying core strength allowed them to stop instantly.
"Fake, right? Stopping on a dime at that speed?!" Someone found it incredible.
According to the law of conservation of energy.
Energy doesn't appear out of thin air, nor does it disappear suddenly.
Just like driving a car; the faster the speed, the harder to brake. When the car's speed reaches a certain degree, slamming the brakes is useless; the car will still slide forward.
This requires players to possess extremely strong core strength and also places a huge burden on the legs.
But the specialization of the Bible of the Star allowed Yuuto to overcome this burden.
They saw that after completing this outrageous sudden stop, in the time of a breath, he exploded with extreme speed again, sweeping past Aomine like a scorching sun.
A rhythm change of stop and go.
Even if the eyes saw it, the body and even the brain couldn't react.
And Aomine?
He forcefully overcame it with instinct and physical talent, turning fiercely to chase.
However.
When Aomine stuck close to Yuuto's side, he saw the person in front of him dissipate like foam.
Seiho's core had unknowingly stepped back to the free-throw line, jumped, and shot.
"Pervert!" People's scalps went numb.
What kind of duel was this?
What kind of monsters were these people?
Swish!
Mid-range shot made. Yuuto's voice sounded just right, before Aomine could recover.
"Didn't you say tricks like this don't work on you?"
Weakness Revision corrects comprehensively.
Whether offense or defense!
Aomine said nothing, but his expression showed he was extremely angry.
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"