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Everyone was stunned by Ryu's move.
Even Momoi Satsuki in the stands let out a gasp.
On the court, Ryu's push shot suddenly changed, transforming into a hook shot. He hooked the ball behind him.
When the captain of Nishihara Affiliated High School saw Souji Hanafuji behind Ryu, he sensed something was wrong. He had read Souji Hanafuji's file; this guy's shooting was incredibly accurate, and he almost never missed. He needed to remind his point guard to stop him in time.
However, just then, the captain of Nishihara Affiliated High School felt a cool breeze brush against his face. He was startled at first, then heard a loud clanging sound behind him.
His heart skipped a beat, and he turned around in disbelief.
Then he saw Ryu clinging tightly to the rim, hanging there. The captain of the Nishihara Affiliated team stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.
How could this be? What just happened? How did he get behind me?
Ryu released his grip and landed back on the ground. He turned and smiled slightly at the Nishihara Affiliated captain, then walked towards his own half of the court.
Watching Ryu's retreating figure, the Nishihara Affiliated captain remained silent for a long time, frowning, still unable to understand.
Meanwhile, in the stands, Momoi Satsuki had seen it all clearly.
Just as the Nishihara Affiliated captain had shifted his attention away from Ryu, Ryu swiftly turned, following the pass, and then dribbled past the opponent's defense. The movement was fluid and seamless.
'Ryu…'
Momoi Satsuki was also stunned by Ryu's performance. Back in middle school, she had always felt Ryu's movements were inhuman, but she never expected him to be even more outrageous now. That move he just did—an ordinary person would probably find it impossible to execute!
'As expected of Ryu. If he and Aomine were to face each other, I wonder what would happen.'
She suddenly felt a surge of anticipation.
Offense and defense changed hands. The point guard of Nishihara Affiliated High School passed the ball to the small forward. His intention was to let his small forward get his revenge. However, he didn't expect that this would instead cause the small forward to suffer another blow.
The small forward from Nishihara Affiliated High School dribbled past half-court before being blocked by Ryu. He also had excellent dribbling skills, but he had encountered Ryu.
Ryu stuck tightly to his side, preventing him from advancing even an inch. Suddenly, Ryu swung his arm, and the basketball was easily snatched away by him.
Seeing this, the captain of Nishihara Affiliated School felt a sinking feeling. He had already seen from the previous duel that his small forward was no match for that number 95. They had completely underestimated the strength of the Toho Kotei Gakuen.
After taking the ball, Ryu nimbly bypassed the defense of the Nishihara Affiliated School's small forward. The small forward, unwilling to give up, gritted his teeth and turned to chase after him. But when his gaze locked onto Ryu, he was shocked to find the basketball was no longer in his hands.
"The ball is in number 11's hands!" the captain of the Nishihara Affiliated team shouted a reminder.
Hearing their captain's words, the other players from the Nishihara Affiliated team all looked toward Kuroki Ryuichi. Sure enough, Kuroki Ryuichi now had the basketball in his hands.
'Damn it, when did he pass it?' the small forward roared inwardly.
Kuroki Ryuichi dribbled the ball with fluid movements and incredible speed. The power forward from the Nishihara Affiliated team could only passively and barely keep up with him, unable to even attempt a steal. Kuroki Ryuichi performed a crossover dribble, used a fake move to deceive his opponent, and finally accelerated past the defense.
Seeing their player get beaten again, alarm bells rang in the Nishihara Affiliated captain's mind.
Kuroki Ryuichi dribbled the ball directly inside the three-point line. Facing the watchful gaze of the Nishihara Affiliated captain, he didn't flinch. Two strides brought him right in front of the captain.
"Don't even think about it," the Nishihara Affiliated captain muttered, his eyes fixed on the basketball, his legs tense and ready for any sudden move.
Kuroki Ryuichi's eyes flashed, and with two quick thuds, the ball changed hands twice. Just as he was about to switch hands again, he suddenly stopped dribbling and took a step back. At the same time, he raised the basketball, aiming at the basket.
Seeing this, the Nishihara Affiliated captain's pupils contracted, and he quickly lunged forward, raising his arms high to block the shot. However, while his plan was good, reality rarely cooperates.
Kuroki Ryuichi's shooting motion suddenly changed; his forward-leaning hand shifted direction, tossing the ball to the right. Watching the basketball's trajectory, the captain of Nishihara Affiliated High School was first puzzled, then utterly astonished.
A figure suddenly appeared in the direction the basketball had flown. The figure was none other than Kazuo Kamimono. He leaped high, caught the ball in mid-air, and mercilessly slammed it down into the Nishihara Affiliated High School's basket.
Clang!
With a thud, the Toho Kotei Gakuen's score increased by two points.
The captain of Nishihara Affiliated High School looked extremely grim. The opponent's strength completely exceeded his expectations. They didn't seem like a team that had only been established for a year.
The other school teams witnessing this scene also frowned. Judging from the game just now, Nishihara Affiliated High School's small forward and power forward were both suppressed by the Toho Kotei Gakuen. Putting aside how unbelievable this was, their center was also significantly weaker physically than Toho Kotei Gakuen's center.
That left only the point guard and shooting guard. If these two positions were suppressed, then Nishihara Affiliated, one of the Four Emperors, would be finished.
What others could see, Nishihara Affiliated's coach naturally could too. His brows were furrowed deeply. He hadn't expected that his two usually invincible offensive weapons would be suppressed so easily. Moreover, judging from their performance just now, their own center was being dominated by the opponent. This was very bad; he had to think of a way.
However, the game on the court wouldn't stop because of their shock.
Nishihara Affiliated High School inbounded the ball again. This time, the ball was in the hands of their point guard. He dribbled the basketball step by step towards the Toho Kotei Gakuen's half of the court. Having learned from the lessons of the power forward and small forward, he became much more cautious.
Souji Hanafuji saw that the opponent had slowed down, and a white light flashed on his gold-rimmed glasses. He didn't rush to defend, but instead calculated something in his mind. However, the moment the opponent crossed half-court, he also began to move, stopping two meters in front of the Nishihara Affiliated High School's point guard.
Seeing Souji Hanafuji approaching him, the point guard cautiously stopped, not daring to advance any further.
A slight smile played on Souji Hanafuji's lips. Just as he'd expected, his opponent was too wary, no longer daring to attack as aggressively as before. And so, the two remained locked in a stalemate.
Looking at Souji Hanafuji two meters away, the Nishihara Affiliated point guard remained motionless for a long time. The Nishihara Affiliated captain, watching from the sidelines, was also growing anxious.
Time ticked by. With only seconds left on the shot clock, the Nishihara Affiliated shooting guard quickly sprinted to an open position and shouted to his point guard:
"Here, pass it quickly!"
Hearing his teammate's call, the point guard didn't hesitate, raising his hand and passing the ball towards the source of the voice.
A flash of light appeared on Souji Hanafuji's gold-rimmed glasses, revealing a triumphant smile. At the same time, a figure suddenly cut into the path of the pass.
The Nishihara Affiliated shooting guard only saw a blur before his eyes; a figure flashed by, and then the basketball disappeared.
What?
His eyes widened, a sudden shock gripping his heart, and he quickly turned his head to look. Then he saw a figure wearing a number 95 jersey dribbling towards his own basket.
"No way! This doesn't show Ryu's skill at all!" Momoi Satsuki murmured to herself in the stands.
She had come to watch Ryu's match today precisely because the rival of the Toho Kotei Gakuen was known as one of the Four Emperors of the Eastern Prefecture. She had expected her opponent to force Ryu to use some of his true strength, but the result was somewhat disappointing. She should have realized that ordinary teams wouldn't be able to force Ryu to reveal his full power.
She also hadn't anticipated that the Four Emperors team from the Eastern Prefecture would be so much weaker than she had imagined. However, she hadn't come away empty-handed; at least she now knew the strength of the other players from the Toho Kotei Gakuen.
'If Too Academy were to face the Toho Kotei Gakuen, it would likely be a tough battle, and Touou might even lose!' Momoi Satsuki's expression was somewhat grave. She subconsciously glanced at Ryu on the sidelines, thinking to herself:
'Ryu, although I like you a lot, our team won't hold back.'
On the court, Ryu dribbled the ball and charged straight toward the Nishihara Affiliated team's basket. Whether the Nishihara Affiliated team rushed as fast as they could or were simply too slow, they were still too late. Ryu moved with unparalleled ease, successfully slamming the basketball into the basket.
At this point, with four positions breached, defeat was practically inevitable for Nishihara Affiliated. The only remaining shooting guard was essentially irrelevant. Unless he could single-handedly turn the tide by suppressing multiple opponents, he had no chance whatsoever.
Kugawa was the opponent's primary target to exploit. However, defeating Kugawa was no easy feat; without the strength of the "Five Uncrowned Generals," defeating him was virtually impossible.
Thus, the rest of the game became a one-sided affair. Nishihara Affiliated was completely overwhelmed by the Toho Kotei Gakuen, and the score gap widened steadily.
At the end of the first quarter, the score between the Toho Kotei Gakuen and Nishihara Affiliated was 49 to 15.
This result shocked everyone. It was important to understand that their opponent was one of the Four Emperors, yet they were down by over 30 points in the first quarter alone. This meant that the Toho Kotei Gakuen had the potential to challenge for first place in the Eastern Prefecture. At this moment, the gazes of the other academy teams in the stands changed completely.
The rest of the game unfolded as expected. The Toho Kotei Gakuen continued their dominance, crushing Nishihara Affiliated High School. In the second quarter, Kugawa completely shut down the opposing team's shooting guard. Under this comprehensive suppression, Nishihara Affiliated High School completely collapsed.
By the end of the second quarter, the score was 91-33. It must be said that Nishihara Affiliated High School did possess some strength; otherwise, the Toho Kotei Gakuen would have already surpassed 100 points in the second quarter and wouldn't have allowed their opponents to reach 30.
This also explains why Ryu and the others weren't using their full potential.
In the second half, Kazuo Kamimono and the other starters were substituted off for a rest. Ryu stayed on the court with four substitutes, acting as the passing hub and orchestrating the offense for them.
The game became exciting from the third quarter onwards. Both sides traded baskets, eliciting cheers from the stands. However, even so, Nishihara Affiliated High School couldn't turn the tide of the game.
Ultimately, the Toho Kotei Gakuen won the game 200-82.
With this, the Toho Kotei Gakuen successfully advanced, becoming one of the top four in the prefecture. Next, they would face the other remaining emperors.
Ryu and the others walked towards the locker room. When they reached the door, they found a pink-haired girl standing there. The girl waved to Ryu first and then spoke:
"Ryu, it's been a long time." She smiled, looking at Karupin in Ryu's arms. "Hi! Karupin, long time no see!"
"Meow..." Karupin greeted Momoi Satsuki as well, though no one understood what the cat actually said.
Ryu smiled and replied, "Yes! It really has been a long time, Satsuki."
Kazuo Kamimono and the others immediately started gossiping. What's going on? How can there be such a beautiful girl? Is she Ryu's girlfriend?
"Damn it! I'm so envious!"
Ryu looked at Momoi Satsuki and said, "Did you come to watch my match?"
Momoi Satsuki nodded. "Yeah, it's been so long since we last met!"
"That's true. How have you been lately? Aomine shouldn't have upset you, right?"
Hearing Ryu say this, Momoi Satsuki puffed out her cheeks. "Hmph, that big idiot, I don't care about him!"
Uh... Ryu's lips twitched. It seems Aomine must have done something to upset Satsuki again. 'That makes sense, Aomine doesn't seem like a very thoughtful person,' Ryu thought to himself.
Ryu looked up and said to Momoi Satsuki, "Satsuki, could you wait for me a moment? I'll change and then come back to keep you company."
"Okay, you go ahead! I'll wait for you here," Momoi Satsuki replied gently with a smile.
Ryu took a shower in the lounge and changed into his own clothes. He said goodbye to everyone, accompanied by Karupin, and left.
Watching Ryu leave, a chorus of gossip immediately filled the lounge.
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