Miyaji passed the ball to Midorima. Facing Kagami's defense, Midorima still wanted to shoot a three!
"Hmph… I won't let you have your way this time!" Kagami Taiga lowered his center of gravity and spread his arms, staring intently at Midorima Shintaro's every move. The fighting spirit in his eyes was almost overflowing.
Midorima caught the ball steadily two steps outside the three-point line. From the corner of his eye, he saw a blue figure running toward the baseline—Kuroko Tetsuya.
Midorima's pupils shrank slightly as the memory of that full-court pass flashed through his mind.
"Tsk…" Just as he was about to shoot, Midorima passed to Takao Kazunari, who was cutting in from the wing.
"Eh… Midorima-chan clearly could have shot just now!" Kise watched in surprise as Midorima chose to pass.
"Idiot! Didn't you see Kuroko's position?" Aomine said, exasperated.
Facing Kuroko, Takao slammed his right foot forward. The moment Kuroko's center of gravity shifted, Takao pulled the ball back with his left hand and blew past him.
"Bye-bye~" Takao scored an easy layup.
"Hm… as expected, he still can't be underestimated. To think he'd come up with a way to limit Midorima like that," Nakatani Juriou muttered while watching Kuroko.
"Huh? What was wrong with Kuroko's position?" Kise still didn't understand.
"Eh? Kise-kun still doesn't get it?" Chizuru explained, "It's because of Kuroko-kun's long-distance Cyclone Pass earlier. Midorima-kun's high-arc shots give time for both teams to run back. But if Kagami-kun also runs back and immediately starts a fast break, Midorima-kun risks giving up easy points. That's why he didn't shoot."
Kise exclaimed, "Then Kuroko-chan's timing is incredible! Doesn't that mean Midorima-chan will lose?"
Aomine looked at him. "Huh? You think Midorima is that easy to stop?"
"Even though I don't like Poker Face's playstyle, Kuroko's tricks won't stop him," Shidou suddenly said. "Why do you think Poker Face uses high-arc shots? To extend his shooting range."
…
"Izuki-senpai!" Kuroko suddenly raised his hand.
Izuki Shun, dribbling, caught it from the corner of his eye. "Kuroko is actually calling for the ball?"
Takao immediately tensed, smiling. "Oh? Let me see your trick this time."
The ball flew straight toward Kuroko. Takao's pupils shrank—Kuroko's figure looked unnaturally clear.
"Wait… this is…!"
At the last moment, Kuroko flicked his wrist and redirected the pass to Kagami cutting in.
"Nice pass!" Kagami roared as he dunked—BOOM!!!
The crowd erupted.
Takao stood frozen. "No way… my Hawk Eyes…"
Midorima pushed up his glasses. "Not disappearing… but manipulating the opponent's gaze to a single point."
Kuroko walked past Takao and whispered, "Takao-kun's Hawk Eyes are amazing, but that's exactly why you were misdirected."
On the sidelines, Aida Riko pumped her fist. "Great job, Kuroko! A new weapon?"
Kagami high-fived him. "Nice one!"
Takao smiled wryly. "You narrowed my field of vision… interesting."
…
Shūtoku's turn.
Midorima dribbled to half-court. "Stop spacing out. My range isn't that short."
Kagami stared. "No way… a half-court shot?"
The ball traced a huge arc—
Swish!
Hyuga muttered, "A super long-range high-arc shot…"
Midorima turned back calmly. "Seeing your trick once is enough."
Kagami gritted his teeth. Hyuga passed him the ball.
"Kagami! It's up to you!"
Kagami caught it… and shot immediately.
"What?! You can't shoot from there!" Midorima shouted.
The ball hit the rim—
But Kagami dashed forward, jumped again, grabbed it mid-air, and slammed it down!
BOOM!!!
"A self-alley-oop?!"
The bench went wild.
Midorima adjusted his glasses. "Predicting his own miss… then dunking it. Incredible."
Takao sighed. "This is beyond common sense."
Midorima picked up the ball calmly. "It seems… I underestimated you, Kagami Taiga."
As Seirin ran back, they heard a slow dribble—
They turned around.
Midorima stood under his own basket.
"For you, that shot was decent," he said calmly.
Kagami stared. "What are you doing…?"
"My range… is the entire court."
He shot from under his own basket.
The ball flew like a missile across the court—
Swish!!!
The whole arena exploded.
Kagami whispered, "Monster…"
Riko dropped her clipboard. "A full-court three…"
Beep—The third quarter ended.
Shūtoku 60 – Seirin 40.
Shidou Ryusei watched the shot and smiled faintly. "Not bad…"