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Thump... thump... thump...
The deafening sound of the ball bouncing echoed throughout the arena once more.
Amidst the resounding booms, Kise Ryota transformed into a streak of yellow lightning, vanishing from Hayama Kotaro's sight.
Hayama Kotaro, snapping out of his daze, swallowed hard, listening to the resounding thumps behind him.
His expression was a mixture of bewilderment, confusion, shock, and a hint of rage.
'So he finally used it.'
At this moment, he felt a pang of bitterness.
The feeling of having such a powerful move used so easily against him was far from pleasant.
Despite his discomfort, he had no intention of giving up.
Turning to watch Kise Ryota sink the ball into the basket, a flame of fighting spirit finally ignited in his eyes.
From the start of the game, he hadn't taken Kise Ryota seriously.
But now, he considered his opponent an equal, or even a superior player.
For the next two minutes, Kotaro Hayama and Kise Ryota engaged in several exchanges.
Although both matchups ended in a draw, Kotaro Hayama clearly felt the pressure mounting.
This meant his opponent had grown stronger during their matches.
'This can't go on,' Kotaro Hayama thought to himself.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes hardening as if he had made up his mind.
He glanced at the scoreboard: 51 to 25. Though unwilling, he had to accept it.
He looked at kise and said, "You won this match, but I won't give up easily."
With that, Kotaro Hayama's aura exploded.
'Four fingers.'
It was as if a fierce wind swept through.
Kise Ryota felt a chill.
Sizzle…
"What?"
Hayama Kotaro suddenly vanished from Kise Ryota's sight.
Kise Ryota was shocked.
He had heard Ryu say before that Hayama Kotaro's dribbling skills were more than just that.
Now it seemed he was indeed extraordinary.
Kise hadn't even caught a glimpse of him.
He only felt a momentary daze, and then Hayama Kotaro's figure disappeared.
It was too fast.
The sound of the basketball hitting the ground behind him felt like a blow to Kise Ryota's heart.
Kise turned around and saw Hayama Kotaro dribbling into the paint.
He didn't chase him, but watched silently, because it was impossible to catch up now.
Hayama Kotaro easily put the basketball into the basket.
At the same time, the whistle blew to end the second quarter.
The score was temporarily set at 51-27.
During the break, Kise remained quite silent. Ryu patted him on the shoulder and said, "You've done very well. Leave the rest to me!"
"But…"
Kise wanted to say something, but Ryu interrupted him. "I already told you to leave it to me. You can't even imitate the four-finger Thunder Dribble in such a short time, can you?"
Kise was speechless. Ryu was right; he couldn't even see it, let alone imitate it.
Ryu looked at Kuroko and said, "Then I'll play the third quarter, and the fourth quarter is yours!"
"Yes..." Kuroko didn't refuse. He was naturally willing to contribute.
Whistle...
The whistle blew, signaling the official start of the third quarter.
Seeing Ryu walk onto the court, Hayama Kotaro's pupils contracted.
"You've finally come on."
Hearing his words, Ryu smiled slightly. "Ah, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting so long."
"I haven't avenged last year's humiliation yet!"
As soon as Hayama Kotaro finished speaking, Ryu raised a finger and shook it. "You weren't even my match last year; do you think you can beat me now? Our substitutes gave you a hard time just now, didn't they?"
Hayama Kotaro's lips twitched; he couldn't find a reason to refute him.
He truly lacked confidence in defeating Ryu at this moment.
Remembering the year he'd spent relentlessly striving to avenge his defeat, training like a madman to reach his goal, Hayama Kotaro forced down his nervousness and spoke: "Then let's settle this with a real fight!"
Hearing his opponent's somewhat stubborn yet unsure words, Ryu shrugged, then turned to Akashi and said, "Akashi, pass me the ball."
It was Teiko's turn to inbound the ball in the third quarter.
Akashi didn't hesitate and passed the ball directly to Ryu.
Ryu didn't rush to attack after receiving the pass. He held the ball with both hands, looking at Hayama Kotaro.
"You're a worthy opponent, but unfortunately, you're still far from it! You couldn't beat me before, and you still can't now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ryu dribbled the basketball, then leaned forward to his left. In the blink of an eye, Ryu appeared behind and to the side of Hayama Kotaro.
"So fast!"
Hayama Kotaro was shocked.
Ryu's speed just now seemed even faster than his Thunder Dribble.
He quickly turned to block.
But to his utter dismay, Ryu's forward-leaning body suddenly stopped, then he dribbled the ball again.
The basketball was switched to his other hand. At the same time, Ryu's entire body retreated to its original position, then broke through to Hayama Kotaro's other side.
The movement was fluid, clean, and crisp, without the slightest hesitation or pause.
On Teiko's bench, Kise Ryota, witnessing this scene, almost jumped off his seat.
This series of moves completely stunned him. For some reason, when he saw Ryu's movements, he felt as if it were art.
Ryu charged into Fukuyama's paint without any hindrance. He collided head-on with Fukuyama's center.
Although Murasakibara Atsushi was nearby, he seemed to have no intention of setting a screen for Ryu.
Ryu didn't seem to care.
He drove straight to the basket and leaped into the air.
Seeing this, the Fukuyama center instinctively stepped forward and jumped after him, his hands firmly blocking Ryu's shooting path.
Ryu hovered in mid-air with the ball, a smile gradually curving his lips.
When Ryu reached the peak of his ascent, he gripped the ball with both hands, twisted his waist powerfully, and performed a full-on spin in mid-air, forcefully passing in front of the center, getting behind him, and then delivering a powerful two-handed dunk.
Thud...
The basketball slammed into the hoop.
His hands gripped the rim.
With a series of groans, the entire backboard swayed back and forth with Ryu.
This was Ryu's first time demonstrating a dunk in front of everyone.
Everyone was stunned.
They had assumed Murasakibara Atsushi could dunk because of his abnormal physique, and Aomine Daiki could dunk because of his extraordinary talent.
But now, witnessing Ryu's dunk, they fell into complete silence.
In the stands:
"Hey! I didn't see that wrong, did I?! How can a normal middle school student dunk like that?"
"That's not the point! He just did a mid-air turn, going around in front of someone and behind them! Is that even possible?"
"We're watching a middle school game, right?"
"How come all the players at Teiko are monsters like this?!"
Teiko's dugout:
Kise's mouth dropped open, and he stammered, "Ryucchi, that's too strong! That move was too exaggerated!"
It wasn't just him. Everyone from Teiko was stunned.
Akashi, Murasakibara, and Midorima on the court were also astonished.
Aomine Daiki stared intently at Ryu, as if looking at a rare treasure.
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It's really frustrating.
Could you subscribe? I want to reach 20 subscribers.
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