Hey, sorry to intrude, but there's a deal on my patreon. 50% off deal, so instead of $12 for 50 chapters, it's $6! till the end of the month. Code is TWD12345
Chapter One Hundred Nine: Unlimited
"Hmm... am I being ignored here?" Sendoh watched Aomine's retreating back, his expression turning amused. "So there really are guys like Kitaza— out there."
"Sendoh-senpai, it's Sawakita."
Yagami received the baseline inbound, steadily advancing.
"Ahaha, right, right."
---
Ryonan's offense.
When Aomine pressured up defensively, Yagami again chose to pass.
"How long are you planning to avoid this?" Aomine immediately relaxed, standing with Yagami on the left wing.
Sendoh caught the ball, once more using a screen to create space.
"Swish!"
Three-pointer!
[Ryonan 5 - Touou 2]
"Such a shame." Coach Harasawa sighed softly. "Logically speaking, having Aomine defend that guy would be better."
"You mean Sendoh-senpai?" Momoi Satsuki asked.
"Exactly."
Coach Harasawa Katsunori was a former Japanese national team player who'd once been teammates with Shutoku's Coach Nakatani Ryo and Kaijo's Coach Takeuchi Genta.
"Ryonan's strength is formidable, and Coach Taoka is extremely experienced. If possible, I'd prefer Touou establishing a substantial lead early."
"So you must lock down either Yagami or Sendoh?" Momoi deduced.
"Yes, though primarily Sendoh." Coach Harasawa explained. "Currently, he's still Ryonan's backbone. As long as he doesn't lose composure, Ryonan's rhythm won't break."
"Daiki will defend Sendoh-senpai." Momoi stated with certainty.
When it came to reading court situations, Momoi might fall short of Harasawa. But understanding Aomine Daiki? Harasawa couldn't match her.
---
Change of possession. Touou's offense.
Aomine continued calling for the ball on the right wing for isolation. Sendoh defended him.
"BANG!"
"Again!"
Sendoh clearly hadn't been fooled by any fake. He simply couldn't match Aomine's speed!
Aomine knifed inside. Ikegami immediately collapsed.
"First, we stop Aomine's momentum!"
Uozumi shared the same thought, coming out from the paint to help.
Aomine suddenly stopped hard. Ikegami's forward motion stuttered as he tried predicting the next move.
"BANG!"
Aomine's center of gravity dropped sharply. His body threaded between Uozumi and Ikegami!
"Huh?"
"What?!"
Sendoh, pursuing from behind, actually got blocked by his own two teammates.
Aomine entered the paint, rose in one step, one-handing the ball into the basket!
[Ryonan 5 - Touou 4]
"Too fast!"
What could the sideline spectators make of this? Absolutely nothing!
First-step explosion sufficient to blow past Sendoh's defense. After the rhythm change, acceleration through the interior before the help defense could form.
No particularly complex moves. Just pure speed!
---
"Ah, late again." Kise appeared in the upper deck's back row. "Eh? Little Yagami isn't matched up with Little Aomine?"
Kise surveyed his surroundings, suddenly spotting an odd figure.
"Little Midorima? Why are you dressed so weird?"
"Kise?"
"Huh?! Wait, how did you recognize me?!"
Midorima currently wore a white dress shirt, both hands holding a flower pot, his face sporting oversized sunglasses—altogether an extremely suspicious appearance.
Of course, Kise's reason for recognizing him was simple—195cm tall guys with green hair weren't exactly common.
"You can't seriously think wearing sunglasses would stop people from recognizing you?" Kise's expression went flat. "Please, it's embarrassing. Take those off right now!"
"Wh-what? Em-embarrassing?"
"And that thing you're holding couldn't be—"
"Of course it's today's lucky item!" Midorima switched to normal glasses but didn't release the pot for a single moment.
"Oh, I get it." Kise grinned slyly. "You're that guy, right? Told your teammates you didn't want to watch the game, then snuck here alone!"
"D-don't make things up!" Midorima spoke seriously. "I just happened to be passing by!"
"You're still terrible at lying..."
"Hmph." Midorima snorted, changing subjects. "Did you come to watch Aomine? Or—"
"Both, I guess." Kise clearly knew what he wanted to ask. "After all, Little Yagami's the guy who beat us."
"..." Midorima didn't respond, shifting his gaze toward the court.
After a long moment, just as Kise was preparing to say something, Midorima suddenly spoke: "Yagami's a smart guy. Not directly confronting Aomine this game is the correct choice."
"It's the only way Ryonan has a chance to win."
"Is that so?" Kise also looked toward the court. "I don't think he'll keep 'avoiding' it like this."
"Then Ryonan will lose this game."
Midorima freed one hand, adjusting his glasses.
"If among us five, I'm the least skilled at one-on-one, then Aomine is the one who absolutely will not lose in isolation."
"Swish!"
Aomine scored again.
[Ryonan 15 - Touou 13]
"It's him again! Aomine is simply unstoppable!" the announcer shouted excitedly. "Past the halfway mark of the first quarter, of Touou's 13 points, Aomine has scored 10 by himself!!"
---
In the stands, Shohoku's players watched intently.
The shadow of yesterday's crushing defeat hadn't yet faded. Now, watching that dark-skinned figure on the court, everyone felt particularly conflicted emotions.
"This guy's still terrifying." Mitsui's arms crossed, his tone carrying frustration. "But Ryonan's not easy to handle. Just him alone won't be enough to win."
"Don't underestimate Touou, Mitsui." Akagi spoke gravely. "You should know—that guy hasn't used his full strength yet."
Those words made both Sakuragi and Rukawa simultaneously clench their fists.
In yesterday's battle, Rukawa had been completely dominated in his direct confrontation with Aomine. Sakuragi hadn't managed to step up and turn the tide either.
That defeat directly ended Shohoku's path to the National Tournament. Both now sat drowning in self-blame and frustration, silently watching the opponent who'd given them their taste of defeat.
---
Change of possession. Ryonan organized their offense.
"Switch. I'll handle that guy." Aomine told Imayoshi.
Half the quarter had passed. Yagami still hadn't shown strong offensive aggression. Aomine refused to wait passively any longer.
Imayoshi was more than willing. He immediately switched defensive assignments, blocking Yagami.
"The situation's about to change..." Coach Taoka unconsciously straightened in his seat, his gaze locked on the court.
Not just him—anyone familiar with Touou, familiar with Aomine, their expressions grew tense.
Yagami looked toward Sendoh, conveying inquiry through eye contact.
"Let me test the waters first~" Sendoh's expression remained normal, smiling as he called for the ball. Letting Aomine "rest" defensively wasn't Ryonan's desire. This was the perfect opportunity to probe this Generation of Miracles ace.
The ball reached Sendoh. The instant he caught it, he lowered his body. His usual relaxed smile vanished, eyes sharpening.
"Anyway, if I lock you down, that guy will have to step up, right?" Aomine grinned. "Speaking of which, last time I came to Kanagawa, I wanted to face you too."
"Well, I'm deeply honored!"
Before finishing his sentence, Sendoh exploded left with acceleration. Aomine's reaction was alarmingly quick—his center instantly shifted horizontally, blocking the path.
"Such fast judgment!" Sendoh thought, alarmed, but his movement didn't stop. A swift crossover redirected him right!
Aomine nearly simultaneously changed direction, once again precisely cutting him off!
"How?! Wasn't his center completely drawn left just now?!" Aida Hikoichi exclaimed from the sideline in disbelief.
"Terrifying. He can compensate for center shift purely through explosiveness and reaction speed?" Sendoh instantly understood, immediately pulling the ball back, seeking space.
But Aomine stuck like a shadow, using the momentum to press even closer. Ultimate pressure!
"Not good!" Coach Taoka's pupils constricted. Aomine's timing was perfect. Sendoh's retreat couldn't match his forward advance!
At this rate, the instant the ball returned to Sendoh's hands would be the moment Aomine stripped it!
"Slap!"
"BANG!"
"TWEET—!"
At the critical moment, Sendoh's wrist pressed down, delivering a precise bounce pass. Aomine's hand came down too fast, slapping Sendoh's wrist directly.
"Touou number 5, reaching foul!"
"Hmph. Interesting." Aomine stared at Sendoh intently. Not only was there no annoyance in his eyes, but even more intense fighting spirit ignited. "But I've already figured out your patterns. Next time, you won't get another chance."
---
Ryonan inbounded from the sideline.
Coach Taoka wanted to tell Sendoh to pass it away. However, showing weakness at this moment wouldn't be a good choice for Ryonan.
Sendoh caught the ball. Aomine pressured up again.
After some dribbling, Sendoh faked a pass, then quickly pulled it back, stepping back for the pull-up jumper.
"Thud!"
Aomine's center didn't waver in the slightest. His contest after elevating nearly reached Sendoh's shooting hand.
"Saw through it? Or rather..."
"I don't care whether you pass or not!" Aomine shouted. He only cared whether opponents would score on him!
"Swish!"
Sendoh leaned back forcibly mid-air, struggling to balance while releasing the shot.
"CLANG!"
The ball crashed heavily off the back iron, bouncing away.
The ball flew beyond the paint area. Wakamatsu gritted his teeth, spreading both arms with maximum effort, using all his strength to pin Uozumi behind him. Susa seized the opportunity to secure the rebound cleanly.
"Fast break!"
Susa unhesitatingly fired the ball downcourt.
Aomine launched quickly, easily intercepting the pass near midcourt. Gone!
Sendoh and Yagami both sprinted back at full speed, their figures desperately pursuing Aomine's steps.
"Hmph."
Aomine charged inside the three-point arc with the ball. Though caught, he showed zero intention to pass. Just as Yagami was about to cut in front for the steal, Aomine casually tossed the ball toward the backboard during his high-speed run—
"BANG!"
The ball traced an extremely low arc, precisely striking the backboard's square, rebounding crisply into the net!
[Ryonan 15 - Touou 15]
"???"
"What was that shot?"
"Wait! Did he even make a complete shooting motion?!" Shocked exclamations erupted from the sideline spectators.
Every gaze focused on Aomine.
"That bastard." Miyagi clenched his jaw, staring at Aomine's figure. "Starting that unreasonable shooting again..."
"Why does a shot like that even go in?!" Nakamura practically leaned out of the press section, shouting toward Aida Yayoi beside him. "He just randomly tossed it at the backboard before getting trapped, right?!"
"I... I don't know." Aida Yayoi's hand gripping her pen went slightly pale, her voice carrying bewilderment and shock. "Is this the Generation of Miracles' ace? No wonder Shohoku..."
"Looks like Aomine's finally getting serious. Whether dribbling or shooting, his movements aren't bound by common sense." Midorima stated without surprise. "Simply put, Ryonan cannot stop him."
"But with his personality, getting serious this early..." Kise's hands were in his pockets, expression suspicious. "I suspect Little Aomine and them have some history we don't know about."
---
Change of possession. Ryonan's offense.
"Continuing?" Yagami asked, holding the ball.
"Mmm, let me try again." Sendoh scratched his head, tone still relatively light. "The score hasn't flipped yet."
Yagami didn't particularly care. Ryonan's original tactical plan had Sendoh confronting Aomine on both ends during the first half, with Yagami taking over the second half.
Against a super scorer like Aomine, even just depleting his stamina in the first two quarters held important strategic significance.
After Yagami dribbled past halfcourt, Imayoshi keenly detected his intention to pass but showed zero interest in preventing it.
"You guys are quite interesting, actively seeking to match up with Aomine." Imayoshi adjusted his glasses, his tone carrying amusement.
In the past, he might've worried about Aomine's stamina. But recently, despite training attitude remaining lazy, Aomine's actual training volume was legitimate.
Even shouldering the entire game's offensive burden, this guy could probably last until the end.
According to Momoi, they might even need to thank a certain Ryonan player for that.
Sendoh caught the ball on the wing, immediately signaling for a screen. Ikegami understood instantly, quickly stepping up for the pick.
However, Aomine navigated the screen even faster. Even utilizing the pick, Sendoh only gained a fleeting window for his shot behind Ikegami.
Aomine closed the distance again. Sendoh immediately changed strategies, turning his back to attack with his body.
"BANG!"
The two collided.
"Even strength is comparable?" Using the rebounding force, Sendoh smoothly spun toward the paint.
Wakamatsu and Susa showed zero intention of helping. They watched Sendoh attack the basket.
Sendoh rose into the air, his wrist softly guiding the ball toward the rim.
Almost simultaneously, Aomine came roaring from behind, his long arms descending like a shroud.
"Of course he caught up?" Sendoh showed no surprise, tucking his core slightly mid-air, executing a gather dodge to avoid the contest angle.
"Swish!"
The ball bounced once on the rim before finally dropping precariously through the net.
"Whew—" After landing, Sendoh released a long breath, raising his hand to wipe nonexistent sweat from his forehead.
This guy's pressure is seriously intense...
[Ryonan 17 - Touou 15]
For more chapters, leave a review or powerstones(100)
or
go check out my patreon that has 50+advance chapters(50% OFF-$6) patreon.com/Twilightsky588