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Whistle…
The whistle blew to start the second quarter.
Both teams took to the court.
The moment Ryu and Midorima stepped onto the court, the atmosphere in both halves instantly turned icy cold.
Shūtoku inbounded the ball first.
The basketball, unsurprisingly, landed in Midorima's hands.
Ryu was still in his own half of the court.
Seeing his opponent with the ball, he didn't rush to help defend, as it would be pointless.
Seeing that Ryu wasn't coming to defend him, Midorima didn't shoot either, but instead began dribbling the ball slowly.
Ryu, seeing this, also approached him unhurriedly.
Their eyes met.
Midorima knew he couldn't break through Ryu's defense, so the instant Ryu approached, he chose to shoot.
'Just as I thought.'
Seeing Midorima's action, Ryu narrowed his eyes.
[Lightning] activated.
Zzzzt…
A spark of lightning flashed.
Ryu instantly appeared in front of Midorima, ruthlessly blocking the basketball just as Midorima was about to shoot.
Midorima's eyes widened.
He hadn't expected Ryu to launch a surprise attack.
This was a miscalculation.
He had originally intended to waste his opponent's stamina, but now he had messed it up.
Behind Midorima was Kimura Shinsuke. Seeing the basketball flying towards him, he reached out to catch it without hesitation. However, the instant he touched the ball, he felt a blur before his eyes, and then the basketball vanished.
Thump, thump, thump…
The sound of the basketball hitting the ground rang out behind him.
It made his heart pound. Only now did he truly realize that he was utterly useless against the Generation of Miracles.
Ryu dribbled the ball quickly. He was also quite surprised; he hadn't expected to seize an opportunity right at the start of the game. He went straight to Shutoku's three-point line, preparing for a "Zero-Style Three-Pointer."
But just then...
With a roar, a figure appeared in front of Ryu. It was Shutoku's captain, Taisuke Otsubo.
Otsubo stretched out his arms, trying to block Ryu's shot.
Ryu merely glanced at him, then changed his jumping stance, leaning forward slightly.
Seeing Ryu's posture, Midorima behind him immediately sensed danger and shouted, "Don't guard him..."
But it was too late.
After Otsubo jumped, Ryu followed closely, leaning forward and leaping as well.
Ryu's body crashed into Otsubo's.
In an instant, the whistle blew.
Whoosh...
Ryu released the basketball. Due to the spin, the basketball rolled over the rim nine times before falling in.
The score was now 46-43.
"Shutoku, number 4, defensive foul. The basket counts, plus one free throw!"
Seeing this, Taisuke Otsubo was filled with regret.
He knew perfectly well he couldn't stop his opponent. This attempt to stop him had backfired spectacularly; not only did the score gap widen, but he also gave up a free throw.
In an instant, Taisuke Otsubo felt utterly exhausted, powerless, and helpless.
Standing at the free-throw line, Ryu looked at Shutoku's basket. He gave Kamimono a wink, and Kamimono understood.
However, Midorima saw all of this. He became alert, moving closer to Kamimono, ready to react to any unexpected situation.
A glint flashed in Ryu's eyes, a smile played on his lips, and he shot the basketball.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc through the air.
But, clang...
A muffled thud followed as the basketball struck the rim and bounced back.
Seeing this, a sharp glint appeared in Kamimono's eyes. He pushed off with both feet and leaped into the air. However, Midorima jumped at the same time.
Kamimono's pupils dilated slightly; he was also shocked by Midorima's anticipation. However, Kamimono didn't lose his composure because of Midorima. Although his opponent had unleashed his wild side, the height difference was insurmountable.
Using his physique, Kamimono reached the basketball first. He didn't intend to steal the ball; he simply flicked the basketball outwards with his fingers, clearing the ball before Midorima could get to it. He scoffed.
Midorima looked in the direction the basketball had flown, and then he witnessed a horrifying scene.
There stood Ryu, right where the ball was heading. Ryu gave him a triumphant smile, caught the ball, and quickly dribbled it inside the bounds. He was completely unguarded.
Ryu raised the basketball in front of everyone, aimed, and shot.
Amidst panic and resentment, the Shutoku team watched helplessly as the ball fell into their basket again.
49 to 43.
At the start of the second quarter, Toho Kotei Gakuen had already widened the score gap.
This was something no one had expected.
'This is terrifying, truly terrifying,' Shutoku's coach, Masaaki Nakatani, exclaimed in shock. They had only given them a sliver of an opportunity, and they had almost plunged Shutoku into the abyss. 'This Ryu is a monster.'
And it wasn't just him. Anyone who knew a little about basketball could see how unbelievable Ryu's actions were!
"Now Shutoku is in danger," Aomine analyzed.
Aomine looked at Ryu below the arena and murmured, "That guy, you really can't let your guard down around him at all!"
Aomine's eyes were blazing with fighting spirit. He couldn't wait to have a massive battle with Ryu.
If this weren't an official competition, he would definitely jump down from there and play one-on-one with Ryu right now.
On the court, Midorima stared at Ryu with a grim expression. "You actually managed to outmaneuver me."
Ryu laughed. "If you hadn't tried to outmaneuver me first, I wouldn't have had this opportunity."
"Damn it…" Midorima was speechless.
However, he wasn't one to let his opponent do as they pleased so easily. He signaled Takao to pass the ball.
Thwack…
The moment he received the ball, Midorima jumped and unleashed a full-court three-pointer.
Swish…
The crisp sound of the net swishing rang out, setting the stage for the second quarter's three-point shootout.
The second quarter was much the same as the first, with few changes.
Ryu and Midorima were locked in a fierce battle.
One wanted to close the gap, while the other wanted to extend his lead.
The basketball bounced back and forth between the two teams' baskets.
By the end of the second quarter, Midorima, panting heavily, managed to keep the score gap at just 3 points.
82 to 79.
Shutoku had no tactics left.
Their only job was to set screens for Midorima and prevent anyone from interfering with him.
In reality, they were only guarding Ryu. With Midorima's current strength, the rest of the Toho Kotei Gakuen team posed no threat to him.
Back on the bench, Ryu was doing alright; although he was a little out of breath, he wasn't drenched in sweat.
On the other hand, Midorima was a different story. His chest heaved, sweat dripped down his face, and even his hand holding the water bottle trembled slightly.
The coach, observing everything, sighed silently. The overall skill gap between the two teams was still too large. If the rest of the Shutoku team had the strength of those from Toho Kotei Gakuen, Midorima wouldn't be so exhausted.
Looking at Midorima with his head bowed, Takao and the others felt deeply guilty. If they were stronger, perhaps they wouldn't be in this situation.
Especially Taisuke Otsubo. If he hadn't committed that foul before, perhaps everyone would be in a better position now!
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