I want to reach 20 paid subscriptions on Patreon this week to complete this novel, as it has been over a month since the last subscription.
patreon.com/ayan41x
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Time ticked by.
The fourth quarter began.
Kaijo was being suppressed by Toho Kotei Gakuen.
To be precise, Kise was being suppressed by Ryu.
This was something no one had expected before the match.
Everyone thought the match between the Generation of Miracles would be a close, evenly matched contest.
But they never imagined that one side would be so thoroughly dominated by the other.
Was Kise too weak?
No, not at all…
Then there was only one problem.
All eyes turned to Ryu.
Ryu was simply too strong.
Tap tap tap…
At the entrance to a passageway in the spectator area.
Momoi Satsuki, with long pink hair, ran out of the passageway.
She clutched her chest, her breathing slightly rapid.
"Finally arrived. I wonder how Ryu and Kise's game is going?"
Looking intently, the first thing that caught her eye was the scoreboard hanging above the arena.
Upon seeing the score, Satsuki's pupils contracted sharply.
It was already the fourth quarter.
Nearly half the time had passed.
The score between Toho Kotei Gakuen and Kaijo was 104 to 86.
"What's going on? Kaijo is so far behind."
In her estimation, even if Ryu was slightly stronger than Kise, it shouldn't have led to such a large gap in the score.
She quickly shifted her gaze to the court below.
Kise was panting heavily, his chest heaving.
He spread his arms, sweating profusely as he defended Ryu.
Ryu, on the other hand, looked calm, his dribbling style serious yet somewhat lazy.
Seeing the raging red ball on the sidelines...
Satsuki gasped.
'This is… Ryu's [Beast's Aura], has it become this powerful?'
This is vastly different from when she first saw Ryu use this technique.
'Kise's condition isn't good!'
Satsuki could tell at a glance that Kise wasn't in good shape.
Ryu, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease.
While she was analyzing the situation, Ryu, dribbling the ball on the court, began his attack.
Thump… thump… thump…
With each step Ryu took,
the basketball began to bounce in his hands.
As he lowered his stance, his dribbling speed increased.
Thump thump thump…
Ryu's body suddenly tilted to the side, the angle between him and the ground almost exceeding 45 degrees.
If it were anyone else, they would have lost their balance and fallen to the ground.
But Ryu seemed rooted to the ground, showing no sign of collapsing.
Seeing Ryu use such a low dribble once again, Kise's eyes were filled with seriousness.
He had been tricked by this move many times.
He could detect the speed.
But he couldn't think of a way to counter it in terms of variation.
He could only defend by keeping his lower body as low as possible, just like before.
However, the drawbacks of this were also very obvious.
His playing style was already established, and the defender's posture was fixed.
Suddenly lowering his lower body would inevitably cause physical discomfort, leading to abnormal performance.
For example: reduced strength and speed, and inability to exert force, etc.
This was the key reason he couldn't defend against Ryu.
Seeing Kise blocking his way, Ryu's previously leaning body suddenly shifted.
He tossed the ball to the right, then executed a 360-degree C-shaped spin.
He caught the ball just as it bounced off the ground.
Taking advantage of Kise's lowered stance and weakened state, Ryu successfully broke through his defense.
'Damn it…'
Kise was filled with resentment.
Due to his physical limitations, he couldn't replicate Ryu's moves.
And his own moves were all countered by Ryu.
The suppression from [Data Basketball] was simply too great.
There was only one way to turn the tide.
That was to break through his own limits.
As long as he exceeded the data Ryu had collected,
he might still have a fighting chance.
Having broken through Kise's defense,
Ryu was then met with help defense from the rest of Kaijo.
He merely glanced ahead, memorizing and calculating everyone's positions.
With his [Chaotic Dance] attack, Ryu began a self-indulgent, unorthodox dance.
He slapped the basketball between Kasamatsu Yukio's legs, diverting his attention.
The basketball bounced off the ground and returned to Ryu's hands.
[Zero Style].
Taking advantage of Kasamatsu Yukio's distraction by the basketball, Ryu dribbled past him.
His three-point attempt had been blocked by Hayakawa Mitsuhiro.
Ryu's speed didn't diminish in the slightest.
He charged forward, tossing the basketball to his right.
Hayakawa Mitsuhiro had witnessed his captain being tricked.
To avoid being fooled by Ryu's same tactic, his gaze remained fixed on the basketball.
However, at that moment...
Ryu spun 360 degrees again, a wide turn from left to right, successfully catching the rebounding basketball.
At this moment, Ryu and Hayakawa Mitsuhiro had created about two body lengths of distance between them.
Seeing this, Hayakawa Mitsuhiro realized he'd been tricked and quickly stepped forward to chase after him.
However, just as he caught up, Ryu began the same performance again.
This time, however, he tossed the basketball to the other side.
The same wide 360-degree turn.
Ryu caught the ball again, now completely out of distance from Hayakawa Mitsuhiro.
At this point, only Kobori Koji and Moriyama Yoshitaka remained under the basket for Kaijo.
Ryu didn't slow down, charging straight at them.
Seeing Ryu's aggressive approach, the two didn't dare to be careless, their eyes fixed on Ryu's every move.
When Ryu was about one meter in front of them...
As if by prior arrangement, the two simultaneously moved towards the center, blocking the path in the middle.
Ryu wasn't surprised.
According to his [Data Basketball] 4.0 calculations, the probability of this scene occurring was 63%.
His movements were fluid; the basketball veered left, right, and backward.
Ryu, in turn, began various turns and exaggerated movements based on the direction the basketball landed.
The basketball bounced incessantly around him, looking like it was performing a chaotic dance.
This is the origin of the name [Chaotic Dance].
Kobori Koji and Moriyama Yoshitaka could only stare blankly, completely clueless about how to defend against Ryu.
The two tried to double-team him.
However, they had barely gotten close.
Ryu and the basketball both flashed away suddenly, separating from each other.
Where they separated to was unknown.
It could be in front, behind, to the left, or to the right.
Of course, it could also remain in place.
Unpredictable, impossible to steal, impossible to defend.
This was the terrifying aspect of [Chaotic Dance].
Just as Kobori Koji and Moriyama Yoshitaka were dazzled, Ryu suddenly flashed behind them, appearing under Kaijo's basket.
The two belatedly came to their senses, then, startled, immediately tried to give chase.
However, at this moment, Ryu leaped high, caught the basketball flying over the heads of Kobori Koji and Moriyama Yoshitaka, and slammed it into Kaijo's basket.
Clang…
The basketball goes in.
Toho Kotei Gakuen scores another 2 points.
106 to 86.
The score difference between the two sides has reached 20 points.
Beep…
Kaijo's coach, Takeuchi Genta, used his last timeout.
He didn't really want to.
But there was no other way.
Less than 5 minutes remained in the game.
Now the score was a full 20 points.
Theoretically speaking, The outcome of the game was decided.
But he was unwilling to give up and still wanted to make one last desperate attempt.
Kise and his group walked dejectedly back to the rest area.
Looking at everyone's appearance, Takeuchi Genta sighed inwardly, then spoke.
"Cheer up... the game isn't over yet! We're a basketball powerhouse!"
Hearing this, everyone from Kaijo looked up at him.
Takeuchi Genta paused, then continued.
"Even if we lose this game, we still have a chance. Don't forget the rules of this tournament: each division has two slots. If we win the other two games, we can still advance to the top 8."
Hearing their coach's words, the eyes of the Kaijo team finally lit up again.
No one wanted to lose.
But winning this game was just too difficult for them.
Since that's the case, they might as well try their best to persevere to the end.
Even if they lost the game, they would still secure another qualifying spot.
Thinking this, everyone from Kaijo wore a serious expression.
Toho Kotei Gakuen's rest area.
Kugawa took a big gulp of water and then said.
"We're leading by 20 points, and there are less than 5 minutes left. We've won this game."
"Don't let your guard down..."
Kamimono cautioned.
"They're a top basketball school, and they have a member of the Generation of Miracles. For them, 20 points isn't much."
Hanafuji chimed in.
"If nothing unexpected happens, this victory is ours. Kaijo might put up a last-ditch effort, but their chances of a comeback are practically zero."
The rest of the team agreed.
Kamimono hesitated for a moment, then spoke to the silent Kazama Kouki.
"Coach, should we give the substitutes some playing time for the rest of the game?"
Kazama Kouki crossed his arms, looking nonchalant.
"That's your business, you don't need to ask me."
Uh…
The Toho Kotei Gakuen team members all twitched their lips.
It's the same familiar feeling, the same familiar style.
As expected of the coach!
Some of the newly joined substitutes in the basketball team also gained a better understanding of their coach's style.
Some of them started muttering to themselves.
'Speaking of which, is this the secret to Toho Kotei Gakuen winning the Summer League championship?'
Kamimono shook his head helplessly, then looked at Ryu and the others.
"What do you guys think?"
Ryu and the others shrugged indifferently.
Ryu thought for a moment and said,
"It's good to let them experience the atmosphere on the court; it can help them overcome their fear of the game."
He still vividly remembered his middle school days.
Kuroko's awkward first appearance on the court.
His legs trembling like a newborn fawn.
Ryu still remembered it all!
Beep…
Timeout ends.
The players from both sides enter the court.
When they saw that everyone on the Toho Kotei Gakuen side, except for Ryu, was a complete substitute,
the Kaijo team's expressions turned extremely grim.
"Damn it, are they looking down on us?"
Kasamatsu Yukio said with a gloomy look.
Kise's expression was also very unpleasant.
He stepped forward and said to Ryu, who was smiling at him.
"You guys are so arrogant. The game isn't over yet. Do you really think you've already won?"
Ryu shrugged.
"Isn't that right?"
Kise remained silent, his face grim.
Ryu continued,
"You're down by 20 points now, with less than 5 minutes left in the game. Aside from you, none of the other Kaijo players have the ability to catch up."
Kise didn't refute.
Because what Ryu said was indeed true.
He now understood why only Ryu remained on the court.
It was to prevent him from pulling off an incredible comeback.
Looking at Ryu before him, Kise felt utterly exhausted.
He still preferred playing against Aomine.
He was straightforward, focused solely on basketball.
Ryu smiled slightly at Kise and said,
"Then, let's finish this game together!"
In the following time, Ryu, along with four substitutes, tirelessly moved around the court.
He was keeping the prospect of developing new talent in mind.
Ryu became much more restrained.
He let the substitutes handle most of the offense and defense.
However, after a few rounds, they were thoroughly outmatched by Kaijo.
The score was gradually being closed in.
Looking at the scoreboard, 106 to 98 in red,
Ryu shook his head inwardly.
These substitutes were too weak.
Both their skills and their mentality were far inferior to those of the top teams.
'They still need more training!'
Toho Kotei Gakuen's rest area.
Kamimono and the others naturally noticed this as well.
Kamimono muttered.
"Looks like we'll have to send them out to find more matches in the future."
Hearing this, Hanafuji, Kuroki Ryuichi, and Kugawa remained silent.
They had grown up like this too.
On the court.
Ten seconds remained until the end of the game.
Kise dribbled the ball and charged forward.
Ryu watched Kise rush towards him, but didn't try to stop him as before.
He wanted these substitutes to experience the gap between themselves and the nation's top players.
That way, they would be mentally prepared when facing opponents like the Generation of Miracles in the future.
Kise broke through Ryu's defense and reached the interior of Toho Kotei Gakuen.
He mustered his last bit of strength.
His super-fast dribbling was unleashed once more.
Kise broke through the defenses of the Toho Kotei Gakuen substitutes one after another.
The substitutes stood there dumbfounded, their eyes filled with fear and disbelief.
'Is this the strength of the Generation of Miracles? Is this how our seniors competed against monsters like this?'
Kise easily broke through the defense of four substitutes.
He reached the basket and jumped.
Holding the basketball in his hand, he made a sliding layup motion.
With one second remaining in the game.
Kise channeled all his strength into his arm holding the basketball and swung it down forcefully.
Clang…
The basketball slammed into the hoop, as if venting his resentment and unwillingness to accept defeat.
And indeed it did.
Beep…
The referee blew the final whistle.
106 to 100.
Toho Kotei Gakuen wins.
Kise landed on the ground, his legs trembling slightly.
He stood there, head down, silent.
The other members of Kaijo also looked unwilling, their faces filled with sorrow.
But none of them cried.
Because they knew they still had a chance, that it wasn't over yet.
A long time passed.
Kaijo's captain, Kasamatsu Yukio, walked up to Kise.
He patted Kise on the shoulder and said,
"Alright, we lost this match, but we still have a chance. We'll win next time."
Kise, fighting back tears, took a deep breath and nodded.
"I understand, Kasamatsu-senpai."
He looked up at Ryu.
"Ryucchi, next time we meet, I definitely won't lose to you again."
Ryu glanced at him sideways.
"You...you're still far from good enough!"
Ryu was telling the truth.
Compared to the other Generation of Miracles,
Kise was still lacking.
Both sides lined up and saluted.
Thus, The match between Toho Kotei Gakuen and Kaijo High School came to an end.
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I want to reach 20 paid subscriptions on Patreon this week to complete this novel, as it has been over a month since the last subscription.
patreon.com/ayan41x