[Please vote with the power stones; the more you vote, the more chapters will be published. Thank you.]
50 Power Stones = 1 bonus chapters.
100 Power Stones = 3 bonus chapters.
150 Power Stones = 5 bonus chapters.
------------------------
In the stands.
"Have you guys noticed that Midorima seems a little different?"
Hearing Kagami Taiga's words, the Seirin players all nodded.
They had the same feeling, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it; it just felt strange.
"It's a state of being."
Just then, Aida Riko's words suddenly rang out.
Everyone's attention was drawn to her words.
Aida Riko explained, "My dad told me that some players have a unique talent, allowing them to become one with the basketball, like a part of their body. They can shoot with complete freedom, without any preparation, just relying on their feel for the ball to make every shot. This state is called 'man and ball as one.'"
Hearing this, the Seirin players were all dumbfounded.
Kagami Taiga's mouth dropped open. "'Man and ball as one'? That sounds too surreal!"
Aida Riko replied, "Anyway, Shutoku's shackles have been broken. This is a chance to turn the tide. It all depends on how Shutoku's coach arranges it."
Shutoku's rest area.
Nakatani Hitoshi glanced around at everyone and said, "Next, give the ball to Midorima."
"But what about that Ryu? If we leave him alone, Midorima's shot will most likely be blocked!" Kimura Shinsuke reminded him.
Nakatani Hitoshi shook his head. "It might have been possible before, but now he can't stop Midorima."
Upon hearing this, the Shutoku players all looked bewildered.
What did the coach mean? He can't stop him now?
Everyone looked at Midorima.
Nakatani Hitoshi also looked at him and asked, "Midorima, what's your current state?"
He had some guesses, but he needed to confirm first.
Midorima adjusted his glasses and replied, "It feels very relaxed. The basketball is like an extension of my body. I don't need to aim deliberately when shooting. If I feel I can make it, then I definitely will."
Hearing his words, the Shutoku players stared at each other, looking completely bewildered.
"Really? That means you can make every shot, and from the whole court!" Takao exclaimed.
"Pretty much!" Midorima had barely finished speaking.
Hiss…
Everyone gasped.
Just then, Nakatani Hitoshi spoke up, "Midorima's current state is a kind of 'man and ball as one.' It's called a state because it doesn't belong to any specific skill or technique; it's just a pure feeling. He can do what he wants based on muscle memory."
Hearing the coach's explanation… everyone was utterly shocked.
Some envied Midorima, some admired him, but most were excited.
If what the coach said was true, this was undoubtedly the best opportunity to catch up.
Clap clap clap…
Nakatani Hitoshi clapped his hands and said, "Alright, from now on you guys will cover for Midorima. Midorima, it's all yours now."
"Yes…" Midorima nodded in agreement.
Beep…
The timeout ended.
The players from both sides returned to the court.
Ryu looked at Midorima, and Midorima looked back at him.
The two faced each other across the distance.
Red and green flames flickered, extinguishing each other.
Under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, Toho Kotei Gakuen launched an attack.
The point guard dribbled across the center line, only to be intercepted by Takao.
The guard's gaze shifted, and with a flick of his wrist, he passed the ball.
However, Takao saw all of this. Possessing the "Hawk Eye," he could see what others couldn't.
Although he could see it, he couldn't stop it. The gap between the two was too great. This was Takao's current tragedy.
The basketball came into Kuroki Ryuichi's hands.
Kimura Shinsuke immediately rushed forward, arms outstretched, trying to block Kuroki Ryuichi's path.
Kuroki Ryuichi, changing his rhythm, successfully broke through his opponent.
When he reached the paint of Shutoku, he saw Otsubo Taisuke already waiting for his attack.
At the same time, Miyaji Kiyoshi had also appeared behind him, completely double-teaming him.
A double-team from both sides. Many people gasped at this sight.
Kuroki Ryuichi also sensed the commotion behind him. His dribbling rhythm suddenly accelerated.
The sudden change in rhythm startled Otsubo Taisuke.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Kuroki Ryuichi bypassed his opponent and reached the basket of Shutoku.
A slight smile played on his lips as he jumped, preparing for a dunk.
However, at that moment, he was suddenly enveloped by a shadow, a gust of wind whistling past his ears, followed by a loud thud.
The basketball was suddenly slapped away by a large hand.
The basketball hit the rim and bounced out of the paint.
Kuroki Ryuichi's eyes widened as he turned to look. Then he saw Midorima Shintaro with green hair.
'When did this guy get here?' Kuroki Ryuichi felt incredibly frustrated.
The basketball eventually landed in Otsubo Taisuke's hands.
Remembering the coach's words, he turned to look at his ace. Seeing Midorima also looking in his direction, he passed the ball to him without a word.
Midorima received the ball.
Facing Kuroki Ryuichi, whom he had blocked, Midorima didn't care at all. He simply raised his hand, jumped, and shot.
With a fluid, effortless movement, Kuroki Ryuichi didn't even have time to react. By the time he realized it, the basketball was already high in the air.
With expectant eyes from the Shutoku team, the basketball finally fell into Toho Kotei Gakuen's basket.
119 to 111.
The score difference between the two teams was only 8 points.
Kuroki Ryuichi looked at his teammates with frustration. "I'm so sorry, everyone, if I hadn't made that mistake..."
Kamimono waved his hand dismissively. "No need to apologize. You were never his match anyway, and besides, we're still leading by 8 points! Take it slow, play steadily, don't rush."
Ryu looked at the scoreboard.
8 points wasn't much, just three three-pointers. At Midorima's current momentum, the score would likely be caught up by the end of the third quarter.
He beckoned to his teammate, who understood and passed the ball to him.
Ryu received the ball and looked towards Shutoku's basket.
'Let's stabilize the score first!'
Ryu stood in his own half of the court without attacking.
Just as everyone was watching him with curiosity, Ryu transformed into Midorima's appearance.
When Midorima saw someone on the other side who looked exactly like him, he realized something was wrong.
Ryu (in Midorima's form) raised the basketball, aimed at Shutoku's basket, and shot.
Whoosh…
The basketball flew high into the arena's roof, over the center line, over Shutoku's three-point line, and finally reached the paint.
As the basketball reached its highest point, it then fell downwards, eventually landing in Shutoku's basket.
"It's a full-court three-pointer! That number 95 from Toho Kotei Gakuen can do that too? Unbelievable!"
"Am I seeing things? There are two identical people down there."
The stands erupted in cheers and screams.
The appearance of Midorima from Ryu's phantom abilities stunned the other school's players.
How the hell are they supposed to play? He transforms without warning and can even use his opponent's special moves. There's no way to argue with that!
Then, Midorima stood under Shutoku's basket and began shooting towards Toho Kotei Gakuen's hoop.
For a moment, the basketball flew back and forth between the two halves of the court, like a large-scale acrobatic performance, leaving the audience in awe.
Until 0.5 seconds remained in the third quarter.
Midorima, with his "man and ball as one" state, quickly released the ball and sank a buzzer-beater.
The score was now 140-135.
Shutoku had finally narrowed the gap to just 5 points.
----
Could you subscribe on patreon?.
+ I publish 3 chapters daily on Patreon, in addition to the other advanced chapters, which are 30+ chapters.
That's about 90 chapters a month.
patreon.com/ayan41x