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Beep...
The whistle blew as the two talked.
The referee blew the whistle to start the game.
The basketball was tossed into the air by the referee towards the two centers.
Whoosh...
Whoosh...
Two figures leaped simultaneously, rushing towards the basketball in mid-air.
"Watch my skills!"
Wakamatsu Kosuke roared, reaching out to snatch the basketball.
However, before his hand could touch the ball, another hand suddenly intercepted it.
Smack!
Kamimono slapped the basketball away towards Ryu.
Wakamatsu Kosuke watched helplessly as the ball was stolen, shouting angrily.
"Damn it..."
After Ryu received the ball, Aomine immediately closed in, pressing down on him with overwhelming force.
In an instant, the stands erupted.
"Are the two aces going head-to-head from the start?"
"I can't wait."
Ryu was completely unconcerned.
He and Aomine locked eyes, neither making a move, just standing face to face.
All eyes in the arena were fixed on Ryu and Aomine.
Soon, Ryu moved.
Ryu's figure flashed, almost instantly disappearing from Aomine's sight.
However, Aomine quickly followed, catching up to Ryu again.
Seeing this, everyone gasped in astonishment.
It really was Aomine! His speed was simply monstrous.
Ryu knew he couldn't break through Aomine's defense like this.
His body suddenly lowered, almost level with Aomine's knees, and his movements began to sway unsteadily.
Ryu's body seemed to lack bones, dribbling much lower than a normal person.
Seeing this, another wave of gasps and astonishment erupted from the stands.
Two figures, one silver and one blue, weaved and shifted on the court, neither giving an inch.
Aomine never managed to steal the basketball from Ryu.
And vice versa.
Ryu remained unable to break through Aomine's defense.
Ryu's extremely low dribbling left Aomine with no openings, forcing him to simply block his path.
The two remained locked in this stalemate for over ten seconds.
The two moved from the centerline to the three-point line of Too Academy.
Soon, they moved from the left side of the three-point line to the right.
Neither side gave an inch on offense or defense.
No one expected that the two would put on such a spectacular offensive and defensive battle right from the start of the game.
"Your speed is really troublesome!" Ryu suddenly exclaimed.
Hearing this, Aomine also spoke up.
"You're the same. Your low dribbling might prevent me from stealing the ball, but you can't get past me like that."
Heh...
Ryu grinned.
"You think my moves haven't changed at all in the past year?"
Hearing Ryu say this, Aomine narrowed his eyes, focusing intently.
Just then, amidst everyone's gasps, a sudden change occurred on the court.
Ryu seemed to slip and fall backward, the basketball moving backward with his right hand.
Seeing this, Aomine was stunned.
Not just him, everyone in the arena was.
They found it hard to believe Ryu would fall. It was too unbelievable.
But it was true; they had witnessed it with their own eyes.
Although it wasn't Aomine's believe it, he wouldn't miss such an opportunity.
He strode forward, aiming at the basketball that Ryu was about to throw, and reached for it.
But before his hand even touched the ball, another unexpected event occurred.
Ryu, about to fall to the ground, suddenly slammed his left hand on the ground, his entire body rising into the air.
At the same time, he switched the ball from his right hand to his left, passing it between his legs.
The instant his body stabilized, he took a step forward, breaking through.
In an instant, he had created a significant distance between himself and Aomine.
Everyone was stunned by Ryu's actions.
Aomine was also momentarily stunned but quickly reacted.
He tensed his legs, exerted force with his feet, and as if teleporting, once again blocked Ryu's path.
This sudden, exaggerated speed drew another gasp from the audience.
However, when Aomine reached Ryu, his eyes widened again.
At that moment, Ryu had already tossed the ball behind him.
The instant Aomine blocked his path, Ryu took a step back.
The ball bounced off the ground and rebounded, perfectly caught by Ryu.
Ryu was now positioned right in front of Too Academy's three-point line.
Oh no…
Aomine's pupils constricted, alarm bells rang in his mind, and he knew something was wrong.
However, Ryu was already in a shooting stance.
Without hesitation, Aomine leaped up, trying to block Ryu's shot.
But he was too late.
The basketball whizzed past his fingertips, and then he heard a loud thud behind him.
After landing, Aomine quickly looked at his own basket.
There, on his own basket, a basketball was spinning and rolling.
One lap... two laps... three laps...
Seeing this, Aomine turned his head.
He knew this shot was hopeless.
He looked at Ryu again, his expression shifting from excitement and agitation to seriousness and focus.
"Ryu..."
His words had barely left his lips.
Swish...
The basketball successfully completed nine laps and finally fell into the hoop.
3-0.
Toho Kotei Gakuen scored first.
Whoosh...
The entire arena erupted into an uproar.
Everyone stared at Ryu as if they'd seen a ghost.
Their minds were now filled with Ryu's bizarre maneuver.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh…"
"This is the first time I've ever seen basketball played like that, it's amazing!"
The most shocked were the basketball players from various schools.
They were like startled cattle, frozen in place, completely stunned.
However, this situation didn't last long. The players from other high schools completely erupted into chaos.
As for Momoi...
Leaving aside the shock and disbelief in the stands, the people on the field were far more than just shocked.
The expressions on the faces of the Too Academy players were a mixed bag.
Too's captain, Imayoshi Shoichi.
His expression was ashen, his previous confidence completely gone.
The rest of the Too team stood motionless, staring blankly in Ryu's direction.
Too's dugout.
Despite the large number of substitute players, the dugout was unusually quiet.
Too's coach, Harasawa Katsunori, had stood up from his chair.
His eyes were filled with disbelief.
What was happening before his eyes had completely shattered his understanding.
Momoi's feelings were the most complex.
Because of her special feelings for Ryu, she was constantly watching him.
In a sense, she was constantly analyzing Ryu.
However, she had never truly grasped Ryu's true strength.
Today, Ryu unleashed a new technique.
This filled her with mixed emotions of joy and sorrow.
Joy because the stronger Ryu became, the happier she was.
Sorrow because Ryu was now their opponent, Too.
On the court.
Aomine stared intently at Ryu.
He grinned wildly.
"Hahahaha… This is amazing, truly amazing! I haven't felt this way in ages."
Aomine's entire aura shifted, becoming even sharper and more piercing than before.
"As expected, only you are worthy to be my opponent."
Ryu said calmly, looking at him.
"We seem to have always been opponents, haven't we?"
Hearing this, Aomine was taken aback at first, then smiled.
"You're right, we've always been opponents. Let's settle this today!"
Too inbounded the ball.
The basketball, as expected, landed in Aomine's hands.
Aomine held the ball with both hands, his gaze fixed on the basket of Toho Kotei Gakuen.
An invisible, powerful pressure emanated from Aomine, spreading outward.
For a moment, the rest of the Too team were stunned by the aura emanating from Aomine.
Ryu, watching from half-court, smiled.
Facing the overwhelming pressure, Ryu stood rooted to the spot, unmoved.
It was as if the terrifying aura that threatened to tear him apart had never existed.
"Then let's begin!"
Ryu and Aomine locked eyes.
The second round of attack and defense was about to begin.
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