The first quarter ended.
Seirin vs. Tōō Academy.
34–36.
Practically dead even.
Even though during that stretch Ryōta Kise and Shōgo Haizaki's 1v1 ended with Haizaki pinning him down and scoring several times in a row, Kise had also taken several possessions straight off Kagami before that.
One gain, one loss—they balanced out.
And after that…
The entire first quarter turned into a full-on exhibition match of Miracle Generation abilities.
The post-Teiko growth of Teiko's Twin Stars—Aomine and Kise—was being completely displayed before the watching Shigure Akihito in the stands.
At the same time
They did not disappoint him.
A fierce clash.
A frantic dance.
Ending in a draw.
Reaching this level of back-and-forth, even Shigure Akihito had to applaud Haizaki + Kuroko—this duo the original story abandoned and labeled the weakest combination.
Because their opponents were Aomine + Kise.
In the original storyline…
These two were basically, aside from Murasakibara, the most naturally gifted pair among the Miracles.
As for Akashi…
Mm.
He's just an anomaly.
And then
Second Quarter
After giving the arrogant Miracle Generation their full quarter to do whatever they wanted, both teams tacitly returned to playing a more team-based style. After all, no matter how strong the Miracles are, they can't solo the entire match.
On one side
Teiko swapped out Iizumi Sadanori and subbed in Sakurai Ryō, increasing their firepower and shifting into an ultra-offensive team setup.
On the other
Kiyoshi Teppei suddenly moved to point guard.
Kagami switched to center.
Also ultra-offensive.
On the court
Imayoshi Shōichi stared blankly at his matchup, watching Kiyoshi Teppei bring the ball up step by step, and his brain simply froze.
The Uncrowned King…
Kiyoshi Teppei…
He had heard rumors, sure—but a 193 cm center playing point guard was too much.
The 180 cm Imayoshi Shōichi could only stare silently.
How was he supposed to defend a 193 cm point guard?
It was…
Honestly a problem.
Before Kiyoshi even crossed halfcourt, Imayoshi swarmed him tightly, pestering him all the way.
Unfortunately
Although Kiyoshi had indeed lost the guard-level agility he once had back in middle school, his point guard instincts remained intact.
With a single sideways step
Bump.
He easily absorbed Imayoshi's contact, continued advancing, and with his greater height kept a commanding view over the entire court.
As expected
With Kiyoshi posting up at the top of the arc ready to distribute, Imayoshi could only watch helplessly.
Swish!
Kiyoshi, holding the ball one-handed, lifted slightly onto his toes and flicked a pass toward Kagami Taiga inside—and just before Kagami could even receive
Pa!
The ball veered off course in midair.
Sakurai Ryō's face froze in panic.
"Nice!"
"That's Kuroko again, right?!"
"So good!"
"I lost him, again—didn't even notice!"
"Whoa!"
"Aomine's speed is insane! He still managed to rotate in time?!"
Under Aomine's terrifying help defense
Hyuga Junpei's expression tightened. In midair he twisted his body, changing what should've been a shot into a pass. But with Aomine right there, he didn't dare send the ball inside again, instead passing it back out to Kiyoshi—who had anticipated it and stayed at the three-point line.
Pa!
Pa!
Two rapid passes.
One
Kiyoshi's intended pass toward Haizaki.
The other
Kuroko Tetsuya altering the pass's trajectory and redirecting it toward the rim.
BOOM!
A thunderous impact.
Wakamatsu Kōsuke, who had been drawn out by Kiyoshi's earlier movement, was one step late. The lane opened wide—Kagami soared in, caught the ball, and—
Pa!
Hung onto the rim—and the ball
Was blocked by Kise.
Kagami: "...?!"
Damn it!
"If I can't track down Kuroko, then I just have to read someone else! I didn't know where the ball was going
but looks like my guess was right this time~"
However, in the next second
In midair.
With one hand.
Like he was plucking a volleyball straight out of the air
Kiyoshi Teppei suddenly appeared before Wakamatsu, rising above him like a crane among chickens, and snatched the ball in midair!
Wakamatsu Kōsuke: "..."
Wha
What kind of joke was that?!
That hand…
How big IS it?!
"Vise Claw."
It looked like he was about to use the momentum to dunk—but Kiyoshi's eyes flashed. A black silhouette shot in front of him, snow and wind crossing paths
Aomine.
And before the stunned spectators, Kiyoshi—who was already mid-motion for a dunk—stopped himself.
Normally, in that kind of extreme situation, the only choice is to slam it through.
But Kiyoshi Teppei could palm the ball, pull it back in mid-air…
And pass it elsewhere.
This was
The right to shoot after the defender reacts.
It looked like nothing more than the ability to palm the ball, but in reality it was an entire offensive philosophy.
Shooting later means
Your offensive threat goes deeper than the defender's read.
You draw in more defense.
You get more time to observe.
He could watch the situation first, then decide—shoot or pass.
Against Kiyoshi Teppei, most players found defense almost impossible—because no one ever knew whether he would attack or pass.
When you're sure he's about to go up—he suddenly passes.
When you're sure he'll pass—he suddenly attacks.
Every possession was a psychological battle.
Ridiculously hard to defend.
And now
Haizaki Shōgo caught the ball.
With Kiyoshi's dealing, combined with Kuroko's misdirection, Tōō's defensive formation had opened cracks. Even Aomine was still landing from his rotation in the paint.
Swish!
Haizaki stepped back
Nailed the three.
The buzzer sounded soon after.
Halftime arrived with both sides burning through everything they had.
END OF CHAPTER
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