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A wave of cheers swept through the stadium.
The spectators craned their necks, roaring with excitement.
The game was absolutely thrilling.
The offense was well-balanced, the defense disciplined.
The players' counter-attacks were executed flawlessly.
And the game was full of surprises, a true feast for the eyes.
However, the players on the sidelines didn't share the same feeling.
The Seirin players were ecstatic.
The Shutoku players, on the other hand, wore serious expressions.
Kuroko's performance was simply too dazzling.
It had exceeded their expectations.
His incredible dribbling skills were already astonishing enough.
Now he had even pulled off such a bizarre shot.
Midorima's eyes, behind his glasses, were fixed on Kuroko.
Kuroko could shoot; he truly hadn't expected that.
And that wasn't even the most important thing.
Kuroko's shot was also a considerable threat.
He adjusted his glasses, looking at Kuroko.
"Dribbling and shooting, is this your newly developed technique? I must say, you've certainly surprised me, Kuroko."
Kuroko glanced at Midorima and replied,
"It's all to be able to defeat you."
"Is that so?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Midorima turned around and gestured for Takao to pass the ball to him.
Takao picked up the basketball from the ground and passed it to him.
Thud…
After receiving the ball, Midorima focused his attention back on Kuroko.
"While I admit your dribbling and shooting are quite a threat to Shutoku,… you're still ten years away from defeating Shutoku! Don't think that just because you won last time, you can do it again this time, Kuroko, you're too naive."
Without warning, Midorima jumped up from his spot and almost simultaneously shot the basketball.
Oh no.
Realizing what had happened, Kagami rushed forward to stop him.
But he was too slow.
The basketball grazed Kagami's head and soared away.
Under the gaze of hundreds upon hundreds of spectators in the arena, the basketball landed safely in the hoop.
Swish…
78 to 84.
'Damn it.'
Kagami clenched his fists.
He had been careless.
In just a moment of distraction, he had given his opponent an opportunity to shoot.
"Kagami…"
Just then, Kagami heard Kuroko calling him.
He turned to look at Kuroko, then seemed to understand something.
He glanced one last time at Midorima, then turned and returned to his own half of the court.
As soon as he returned, Kagami addressed the Seirin players.
"I'm sorry everyone, if I hadn't been careless just now…"
Before he could finish, Hyuga Junpei interrupted him.
"What nonsense are you talking about! I don't think anyone's blaming you for anything."
Huh?
Kagami was taken aback by what the other person said.
Kiyoshi Teppei stepped forward, slapped Kagami on the head, and laughed.
"That's right! You've done very well, keep it up."
"Oh."
Kagami was a little confused, but he understood what everyone meant.
Kuroko also said to Kagami,
"Kagami, we still have a chance, don't forget what I told you before."
Hearing this, Kagami paused slightly.
"Ah, I know."
The match continued.
Seirin served.
It wasn't Kagami charging forward with the ball, but rather point guard Izuki Shun.
Facing Kimura Shinsuke, whose defense wasn't particularly strong, Izuki Shun quickly found an opening to pass.
However, he tossed the ball towards an open space.
Kimura Shinsuke was momentarily surprised.
But then, as if realizing something, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
Sure enough, the next moment, he saw a familiar figure suddenly appear, then dribble the basketball to the other side.
'It's that wretched number 11 again. Wasn't Takao guarding him? Could it be…'
Seeing Kuroko break free of his defense once more, Takao felt extremely frustrated.
He already knew how Kuroko had managed to escape his Hawk Eye technique.
He just didn't want to admit it.
He was somewhat unwilling to accept it.
His advantage against Kuroko had been turned into a burden by the opponent.
How could he not be upset?
On the other side, Kuroko changed the basketball's trajectory, landing it directly in the hands of Hyuga Junpei, who was already positioned in front of the three-point line at Shutoku.
Although Miyaji Kiyoshi was defending him, however, Kuroko's pass was always meant to be unexpected.
Even though Miyaji Kiyoshi was on guard, he couldn't predict when Kuroko would pass the ball to him.
Hyuga Junpei raised the basketball and shot it before Miyaji Kiyoshi could block it.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc.
Finally, it passed through the rim, creating a graceful net effect.
82-84.
Shutoku inbounds the ball.
The basketball was passed to Midorima again.
His eyes gleamed with a faint green light.
"Seirin, don't get too cocky."
"Man and Ball as One" activated.
Midorima quickly dribbled the ball towards Seirin's half of the court.
Faced with Midorima's sudden attack, Kagami's nerves tensed instantly, his eyes fixed on Midorima's every move, not daring to be careless for a moment.
Even so, Kagami's eyes felt tired.
He could see Midorima's movements, and he could see the trajectory of the basketball.
But he was certain.
If he went to snatch it, it would most likely end in failure.
'Damn it...damn it...what should I do?'
"Kagami..."
Suddenly, a voice entered his mind.
'It's Kuroko.'
Kagami recognized the voice.
Then the voice rang in his ears again.
"Take a step to the left, then wave to the right."
Huh?
Kagami was a little confused about what Kuroko wanted to do.
But he had no other choice now.
Without thinking further, he immediately did as Kuroko instructed, then stretched out his arm and swung it directly to the right.
Snap...
A familiar, crisp sound rang out.
The sound wasn't loud, but to the Shutoku team, it was like a deafening thunderclap.
Midorima's ball was intercepted?
How could this be?
The Shutoku team members were all incredulous.
Midorima was the most shocked.
'I... I was intercepted, how could this be...'
Ignoring the thoughts of the Shutoku team members, the instant Midorima's ball was intercepted, the Seirin team began their operation.
Kiyoshi Teppei caught the ball just in time, then rushed into Shutoku's basket and successfully dunked it.
Clang...
The ball went in.
84-84.
The score was tied again.
A deafening roar erupted from the sidelines.
The spectators were undoubtedly the most excited.
The level of excitement in the game had completely exceeded their expectations.
From the very beginning of the game, the two teams engaged in a closely contested offensive and defensive battle.
Shutoku initially dominated Seirin, then Seirin launched a counterattack, until the score was tied again.
All of this kept the spectators on the edge of their seats.
Momoi was also caught up in the atmosphere.
"It's tied again! This game is really exhilarating!"
Ryu, however, wasn't affected by the atmosphere.
His gaze fell on Kuroko on the sidelines.
'It's happening again, that familiar feeling.'
That familiar feeling that Kuroko had just reminded Kagami of.
Off the court, Midorima's eyes, behind his glasses, were fixed on Kuroko.
"With the same predictive ability as Ryu, when did you…"
His words exploded like a nuclear bomb on the court.
What?
The same predictive ability as Ryu?
Those who didn't know Ryu might not understand.
But those who were once familiar with Ryu, or understood him, were different.
For example, the members of Seirin, the members of Shutoku, and Momoi Satsuki in the stands.
Satsuki asked Ryu in surprise,
"Yu-chan, is what Midorima said true? Does Kuroko have the same predictive ability as you?"
Ryu thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Yes...no, that's not quite right either. Kuroko did predict Midorima's actions, but it's different from my 'Data Basketball.' Although it felt familiar, it's fundamentally different."
Hmm?
Momoi was a little confused, not understanding what Ryu was referring to.
"Is there anything different about predicting an opponent's actions?"
Ryu explained.
"My 'Data Basketball' simulates and predicts actions based on various factors such as each person's habits, personality, preferences, and strength. Kuroko's prediction is different. He predicts Midorima's actions based on Kagami's actions, and then uses his own hints to help Kagami successfully defend against Midorima's attack."
"That's incredible too!!"
Momoi said with some surprise.
Ryu was also quite astonished.
Kuroko's move was clearly imitating his 'Data Basketball' technique.
This was a technique that never appeared in the original work. If you had to name one, it was during the Seirin vs. Rakuzan match.
Kuroko used his "Pseudo-Emperor's Eye" to defend against Akashi's attack.
However, this was slightly different from the prediction Kuroko had just used.
On the court, Kuroko said to Midorima expressionlessly.
"No, it's not quite the same as Ryu-kun's ability. I only predicted Kagami's actions, thus anticipating your next move. I call this technique 'Double Prediction'."
Midorima adjusted his glasses, a slight smile curving his lips.
"Interesting."
Takao was completely dumbfounded.
His mind was blank.
'Is this really possible?'
The rest of the Shutoku team also looked incredulous.
It was all too fantastical.
That number 11 always managed to do the unbelievable.
The most excited were the Seirin coaches and players.
Aida Riko stood in the dugout, her eyes shining.
In the following match, the two teams seemed to be locked in a stalemate once again.
The two teams staged another fierce offensive and defensive battle.
Thanks to Kuroko's "double prediction,"
Kagami, who had previously struggled defensively, completely contained Midorima.
Midorima hadn't taken a single shot until now.
However, this also allowed Takao to become the main offensive force, frequently providing assists for the team.
The score began to rise steadily, almost evenly.
86-86.
94-94.
98-98.
There were about two minutes left in the game.
Just then, Midorima, temporarily contained by Kagami and Kuroko's combined efforts, gave instructions to Takao again.
Takao, though unsure of his ace's intentions, passed the ball.
The instant the basketball landed in his hands, a fiery red figure appeared before Midorima.
Looking at the eager Kagami before him, Midorima's eyes, behind his glasses, remained calm.
"I acknowledge your strength, but to think you can stop me with such methods is a bit naive."
As he finished speaking, Midorima began his actions.
Kuroko's voice quickly reached Kagami's ears.
"Take a step to the right, block to the right, watch out for a fake."
Just as Kuroko said, Midorima took a step to the left, then pulled his arm back, continuing to reach to the left with the ball in his left hand.
As Kagami obeyed Kuroko's warning and blocked his path, Midorima suddenly pulled the ball into his abdomen, raising it to shoot.
Kagami immediately steadied himself, pulling back and raising his hand to block.
If it weren't for Kuroko's warning, he might have already jumped.
Sure enough, Midorima's shooting motion suddenly changed, bouncing the ball on the ground and switching hands, altering the direction of his drive.
It was indeed a fake.
He had to listen to Kuroko.
Just then, Kuroko's voice rang out again.
"Watch out, he'll change direction again."
Kagami's eyes flashed, his body shrank, and he immediately stepped forward, blocking Midorima's drive once more.
Midorima naturally heard Kuroko's words as well.
However, his face remained unchanged.
His green eyes gleamed with an eerie light.
His next move was exactly as Kuroko had predicted: he twisted his wrist, the basketball bounced off the ground, and landed in his other hand.
He changed direction again.
"I already know, Midorima, you have no chance."
Kagami roared.
"Is that so?"
Midorima's eyes deepened, gradually turning icy.
A sinister and chilling aura emanated from his body.
Kagami, who was closest to Midorima, felt a chill run down his spine.
A shiver ran through him, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
He felt as if he were being watched by a venomous snake.
'This is…'
Kagami's eyes widened, and his body began to feel sluggish.
Fierce, bloodthirsty, chilling…
'This aura… is wildness.'
It wasn't just him.
The Seirin players behind him quickly sensed this aura as well.
Everyone shuddered without exception.
A chill ran through them, their hands and feet instantly turning icy.
After activating Wildness, Midorima changed direction, breaking through Kagami's defense from the left.
Although Kagami had anticipated Midorima's move, his movements couldn't keep up with Midorima's speed.
After breaking through, Midorima charged towards Seirin's basket alone.
He was like a true venomous snake, darting freely through Seirin's defense.
The Seirin players tried to defend, but in a flash, Midorima vanished.
Midorima arrived at Seirin's three-point line.
Without hesitation, he stood calmly amidst the Seirin players' encirclement, jumped, and shot.
It wasn't that no one saw him.
It's just that Midorima's movements were too fast; before they could react, he had already completed his shot.
The basketball flew out, piercing the sky like a falling star high above.
Amidst the excitement of the Shutoku players, the Seirin players' resentment, and the cheers of the audience, the basketball plummeted from the sky, finally landing in the basket.
98 to 101.
Seirin - In Danger.
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I want to reach 20 paid subscribers this Week so I can finish the novel. Thank you.
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