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Akita Prefecture.
Akita Commercial Center Plaza.
Court No. 3.
The basketball hovered in mid-air.
Under everyone's gaze,
Kamimono seized the opportunity and jumped first.
His two-meter height was like a mountain, awe-inspiring.
He was matched up against number 5 from Fukuda Sogo Academy.
Although he was over 190 cm tall,
looking at the imposing Kamimono, he was momentarily stunned.
By the time he jumped to contest for the ball, it was too late.
Thwack...
Kamimono easily swatted the basketball and casually passed it to Hanafuji.
At the same time, the others from Toho Kotei Gakuen also began to move.
"I'll keep an eye on you, our Teiko genius."
Takahashi Kento approached Ryu and said sinisterly.
Looking at his repulsive face, Ryu's hand inexplicably itched, wanting to swing and slap the other person across the face.
After a few exchanges of movement, Ryu realized that Takahashi Kento did have some skill.
Even though the difference between them is like earth and sky, he was already quite strong compared to some high school basketball team members.
Appearances can be deceiving.
Although the other person was annoying, he was, after all, a former member of the Teiko basketball team.
His skill was undeniable.
Sigh…
Ryu sighed inwardly.
'It's just that his character is so bad, what a pity.'
On the other side, Hanafuji received a pass from Kamimono and immediately began his attack.
He was defended by Fukuda Sogo Academy's number 4 player.
It was obvious to everyone that, Hanafuji's skill was clearly superior to his opponent's.
He drove through the defense with ease.
In contrast, Fukuda Sogo Academy's number 4 player seemed rather clumsy.
This is the result of an absolute difference in strength.
Hanafuji quickly dribbled into the opponent's paint.
Seeing the situation was unfavorable, the Fukuda Sogo Academy players tried to recover and defend, but it was too late.
Hanafuji suddenly accelerated, changing the direction of the basketball in his hand, bypassing the opponent's number 4 defense, and directly reaching the basket.
He jumped and made a layup.
Swish…
The basketball went in.
2-0.
Hanafuji easily scored a basket.
"Damn it! Is this the champion team? So strong."
Fukuda Sogo Academy's number 4 said unwillingly.
Takahashi Kento didn't care about his team's loss at all.
He said nonchalantly,
"Let them score. Didn't we already know from the beginning that we couldn't win? As long as we achieve our goal, that's enough."
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Ryu with ill intent.
Fukuda Sogo Academy inbounds the ball.
The player dribbling the ball is the point guard wearing Fukuda Sogo Academy's number 4 jersey.
Just past half-court, before Hanafuji could even step in to stop him,
he passed the ball.
Number 11, receiving the ball, pushes forward against Kugawa's defense.
Fukuda Sogo Academy's number 11 is a bald man with an honest and simple appearance.
His skills are average, but his dribbling is proficient.
He's probably a hard-working player.
Ryu can tell.
This player has a lot of drive.
'This guy must be the kind of nice guy people usually talk about!'
Ryu muttered to himself.
Kugawa, of course, wouldn't let the opponent succeed, firmly blocking him outside their three-point line.
Thud…
A crisp snap.
Kugawa successfully intercepted the ball.
Fukuda Sogo Academy's number 11 was startled, realizing the danger.
But as he quickly turned to defend, he discovered
Kugawa was already two body lengths ahead.
"So fast..."
He was shocked.
But now wasn't the time for idle thoughts.
Gritting his teeth, he quickly chased after Kugawa.
Thump thump thump...
Kugawa dribbled the ball directly to Fukuda Sogo Academy's three-point line.
Hearing the approaching footsteps behind him, a smile played on his lips, and he raised the basketball, shooting towards the basket.
Whoosh...
The basketball flew out, tracing a beautiful arc in the air.
Swish...
The basketball swished through the net with pinpoint accuracy.
5-0.
The spectators outside the arena gasped in amazement.
"Wow, that's impressive!"
"They scored 5 points in one go! The opponent had absolutely no chance to fight back."
"The game was completely one-sided. I never expected to see a match like this here."
"Judging by their playing style, they must be professionals!"
"Judging by their age, they must be high school students!"
...
The crowd discussed the two spectacular goals that had just been scored.
On the court, Fukuda Sogo Academy continued to serve.
This time, it was Takahashi Kento who brought the ball.
He made no attempt to hide, coming directly in front of Ryu.
Ryu's eyes narrowed slightly.
'So this is finally happening.'
Ryu watched his every move with indifferent eyes.
Takahashi Kento switched hands back and forth, making a feint as if he was about to break through.
Ryu didn't defend at all.
Takahashi Kento spun around, followed by a between-the-legs switch, the movements incredibly fast.
But all of this looked like a snail's pace to Ryu.
He shifted his feet sideways, easily blocking Takahashi Kento's path as he turned.
Just then, a sinister smile appeared in Takahashi Kento's eyes.
A chilling glint flashed in his eyes, and he pushed off the ground forcefully, his knee aimed at Ryu's knee.
Ryu sneered inwardly.
Such underhanded tactics were a joke to him.
He scoffed dismissively.
He touched the ground with one foot, then spun around his toes.
Just as Takahashi Kento's knee was about to collide with Ryu's knee, Ryu's knee just happened to dodge past it.
At the same time, Ryu reached out and snatched the basketball from Takahashi Kento's hands.
He didn't even bother with Takahashi Kento, dribbling the ball directly towards the basket.
He jumped and dunked.
Clang!
A powerful dunk echoed throughout the arena.
The rim swayed.
The score became 7-0.
A burst of enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted once more.
'Damn it.'
Takahashi Kento's face was filled with gloom.
But his expression quickly returned to normal.
Although he had just been dodged by Ryu, he wasn't in a hurry.
The game wasn't over yet.
He still had plenty of opportunities.
'Let's see how long you can keep this up. I'll keep targeting you like this, and one time I'll succeed.'
As he thought this, his smile grew increasingly sinister.
As Ryu passed by him, he said indifferently,
"Idiot…"
Just two simple words.
To Takahashi Kento, for some reason, he was furious.
He gritted his teeth, watching Ryu's retreating figure.
"Damn bastard."
Fukuda Sogo Academy continued serving.
Takahashi Kento called for the ball again.
He charged forward with the ball and was once again in front of Ryu.
He grinned wickedly, his eyes filled with malice as he looked at Ryu.
"Don't get cocky. Anything can happen on the court. Don't get injured by accident."
Ryu looked at him like he was trash.
"Focus when you're playing. Talking won't get you points."
"Bastard…"
Takahashi Kento's anger surged.
Bang bang…
He slammed the basketball twice, then switched hands and changed direction.
His peripheral vision caught Ryu's foot, and then he stomped down without hesitation.
Ryu, of course, saw the madness in the other's eyes.
With the Emperor Eye, how could he not see where Takahashi Kento's foot would land!
Ryu shifted his foot slightly.
Thump…
A dull thud rang out.
Takahashi Kento's foot missed its mark.
Tch…
Seeing that he had missed, Takahashi Kento scoffed.
But Ryu had no intention of letting him off the hook.
Since the other had already extended his foot, he wanted to teach him a lesson.
Ryu reached for the ball, then lifted his heel and twisted, positioning his foot just above Takahashi Kento's instep.
Then, he slammed his foot down, landing directly on Takahashi Kento's instep, and stomped hard.
Because there was another foot supporting him…
the step was silent.
But it was followed by Takahashi Kento's howl.
Ah…
Ryu ignored him and dribbled into the opponent's paint again.
Jump, layup.
Swish…
The basketball went in.
9-0.
After the basket,
Ryu turned and coldly stared at Takahashi Kento.
Takahashi Kento was crouching on the ground, clutching his right foot and grimacing.
The other members of Fukuda Sogo Academy also gathered around, asking him with concern.
Takahashi Kento's face was contorted, drool dripping from his mouth.
His vicious eyes were already bloodshot.
He endured the pain in his foot and turned to look at Ryu.
Without a word, he limped back step by step.
He didn't say a word as he passed Ryu.
Seeing his expression, Ryu's brows furrowed slightly.
'This guy hates me to the extreme.'
Thinking of this, Ryu's eyes turned colder.
On the surface, his expression remained normal.
And so it went.
Ten minutes passed quietly.
Toot…
A loud whistle blew.
The first half finally ended.
The score was now 31-0.
Fukuda Sogo Academy hadn't scored a single point.
This result shocked the spectators.
None of them had expected a shutout.
'A shutout!'
"They're amazing! They play basketball so well, does anyone know who they are?"
"I don't recognize them, they're probably not from Akita!"
"Speaking of which, their faces look familiar, but I can't quite place them."
"Me too, those five guys seem familiar, especially the silver-haired one."
"Hey, do you think that silver-haired guy looks like one of the Generation of Miracles?"
Boom...
Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd immediately erupted into noise.
"The Generation of Miracles? Hmm, you know what, it really does look like them."
"Yeah, yeah, that's right, it's the Generation of Miracles."
"His name is Ryu! So, they must be Toho Kotei Gakuen basketball team."
"What? Toho Kotei Gakuen? That means they're this year's high school inter-high champions."
...
This single statement caused a huge stir.
The Generation of Miracles, the high school inter-high champions.
The Toho Kotei Gakuen team became the absolute focus of everyone's attention.
Listening to the cheers and discussions from the crowd outside the stadium, Ryu and the others exchanged glances, then all chuckled.
They couldn't help it; they didn't want to be so high-profile.
"Toho Kotei Gakuen... Toho Kotei Gakuen... Toho Kotei Gakuen..."
The deafening, unanimous cheers for Toho Kotei Gakuen echoed from the sidelines.
The faces of the Fukuda Sogo Academy team turned green.
Takahashi Kento's eyes were bloodshot; he wanted nothing more than to tear Ryu to pieces.
Strangely enough, he didn't know why he harbored such intense hatred for Ryu.
Anyway, he blamed everything he had suffered on Ryu.
The three minutes of halftime were almost entirely spent listening to the cheers from the sidelines.
Whistle...
The referee blew the whistle to start the second half.
Bodies from both sides stepped onto the field.
Takahashi Kento glared at Ryu, gritting his teeth as he spoke.
"You won't be so lucky in the second half, just you wait!"
Ryu was truly annoyed by him.
He took a deep breath, deciding to give this reckless guy a taste of his own medicine.
Ryu said to Kamimono and the others,
"Everyone, can you pass the ball to me in the second half? Please."
Hearing Ryu's request, Kamimono and the others had no objections.
The match started quickly.
Since Kamimono won the ball in the first half, Fukuda Sogo Academy had possession in the second half.
Fukuda Sogo Academy's number 5 center wasn't as muscular as Kamimono.
Kamimono stole the ball from him in a single exchange, almost falling to the ground.
Kamimono passed the ball directly to Ryu.
Ryu held the ball, his gaze fixed on Takahashi Kento in front of him.
Ryu stared at him like that.
Takahashi Kento felt a sudden jolt in his heart, a bad premonition.
Soon, this bad premonition came true.
Ryu's pupils contracted.
[Ice World] activated.
Countless ice spikes rained down from the sky, embedding themselves around Takahashi Kento.
Takahashi Kento felt a chill sweep over his entire body, rendering him completely immobile.
Just then, Ryu moved.
Bang...bang...bang...
Ryu dribbled a basketball past Takahashi Kento.
At the same time, An ice spike embedded at Kento Takahashi's feet shattered and exploded.
Takahashi Kento felt his foot suddenly slip, and his body involuntarily tumbled to the side.
Thump…
Just as Ryu dribbled behind Takahashi Kento, Takahashi Kento lay on the ground, completely bewildered.
"What happened?"
"That guy actually fell! Did he slip?"
…
The others from Fukuda Sogo Academy also looked at the fallen Takahashi Kento with surprise.
Not just them.
Takahashi Kento himself was completely bewildered.
He didn't know why he had fallen.
Just now, he only felt a sudden chill envelop him, and then his right foot suddenly slipped, causing him to fall.
He frowned deeply.
He quickly remembered that when Ryu passed by him, he seemed to have accidentally bumped into him.
'Could it be at that moment…'
Although Takahashi Kento's skill was inferior to Ryu's, he wasn't stupid.
He could still see some things.
'Damn it…'
Takahashi Kento clenched his fists, his heaving chest becoming increasingly constricted.
The game continued.
Clang…
Accompanied by the mournful sound of the rim,
Ryu slammed the ball into the hoop once again.
33-0.
The offense and defense remained unchanged.
Fukuda Sogo Academy again inbounded the ball.
It seemed that Fukuda Sogo Academy had been inbounding the ball the entire time.
This situation was already commonplace for the surrounding spectators.
This time, it was Fukuda Sogo Academy's number 12 charging forward.
His position was power forward.
However, the difference in skill between him and Kuroki Ryuichi was simply too great.
With a change in rhythm, Kuroki Ryuichi easily intercepted the ball.
Remembering Ryu's request, he passed the ball to him without hesitation.
Ryu received the ball and came to Takahashi Kento's side.
Looking at Ryu standing before him, Takahashi Kento felt something was amiss.
Then, just like before, he suddenly felt a chill, his foot slipped, and he fell to the ground.
'Could it be…'
Before Takahashi Kento could think further, there was a thud…
Takahashi Kento fell to the ground again.
This time, however, he was face down.
This familiar scene silenced the surrounding crowd.
They all stared at the fallen man, wanting to laugh, yet feeling it was impolite, they were struggling to hold it in.
However, it was as if a switch had been flipped.
In the time that followed, everyone witnessed a scene they would never forget.
Takahashi Kento had also experienced one of the most tragic periods of his life.
Every offensive play by Fukuda Sogo Academy was successfully intercepted by Ryu and his teammates.
Then the ball would be passed to Ryu.
Ryu had his sights set on Takahashi Kento.
Faced with each of Ryu's breakthroughs, Takahashi Kento would involuntarily fall to the ground, looking utterly pathetic.
Once…twice…three times…four times…
Five times…six times…seven times…eight times…
The arena fell completely silent.
He fell again and again.
Many people couldn't bear to watch anymore.
Takahashi Kento's eyes had turned bloodshot.
If he hadn't retained a sliver of reason, he would definitely have pounced on Ryu and started tearing him apart.
Thump…
After Takahashi Kento fell to the ground once again, a crisp sound of the net swishing again, and the referee finally blew the whistle to end the match.
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