Chapter 162 - 163
Chapter 162: Familiar Moves
“Beep! End of the first quarter!”
The referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the first quarter.
Both teams’ starters headed to the bench to rest.
The score was 26–22, with Kirisaki Daiichi leading by four.
In the stands, the spectators began discussing the game.
“The score’s pretty close. Looks evenly matched.”
“Evenly matched? What are you talking about? Haven’t you noticed that Miyamoto Tokima and Shuzo Nijimura haven’t even taken a single shot?”
“But that gray-haired guy… I feel like I’ve seen him before. Wasn’t he from Teikō Middle School too?”
“Now that you mention it, I think I’ve seen him at Teikō as well.”
…
Seirin’s side.
The expressions of the Seirin players were all extremely serious.
Although the score gap on the court wasn’t large, they all knew one thing clearly.
Kaijō was in trouble.
Because Kirisaki Daiichi’s true scorers—Miyamoto Tokima and Shuzo Nijimura—hadn’t even entered scoring mode yet.
Every single point had been taken by Shogo Haizaki alone.
To be precise, the first quarter couldn’t even be considered a proper five-on-five.
It was nothing more than a one-on-one between Shogo Haizaki and Ryota Kise.
“Kaijō… is in real trouble.”
Junpei Hyuga said in a low voice,
“If Kuroko’s analysis is right, Haizaki is only Kirisaki Daiichi’s third scoring option.”
“Meanwhile, Kise is Kaijō’s ace.”
“If even the third scorer can suppress Kise like this, I can’t imagine what it’ll look like once Miyamoto Tokima and Nijimura start scoring.”
Taiga Kagami’s expression was just as heavy. He didn’t refute Hyuga, instead continuing along the same line.
“Yeah. If Kise can’t open up the score before Miyamoto Tokima and Nijimura make their move, then this game is basically on the brink.”
A suffocating atmosphere spread among the Seirin bench.
No one had expected that Kaijō High—an opponent they found so troublesome—would be pushed into such a desperate situation against Kirisaki Daiichi.
…
Kaijō High’s bench.
Ryota Kise sat on the bench, gasping for breath.
In the first quarter, nearly all the pressure had been placed squarely on his shoulders.
Not only did he have to struggle defensively against Shogo Haizaki, he also had to maintain his offensive output.
The toll on his stamina was enormous.
On the other side,
Shogo Haizaki was also breathing heavily, but his breathing was clearly much steadier than Kise’s.
This was thanks to the Miyamoto family’s training, which had significantly improved Haizaki’s stamina compared to the original story.
It could be said that Kirisaki Daiichi’s endurance, at the very least, was absolutely top-tier.
Miyamoto Tokima took the pink water bottle handed to him by Satsuki Momoi, took a small sip, and said,
“Haizaki, you’ve got one more quarter.”
“Starting from the third quarter, Senior Nijimura will take over.”
Haizaki nodded.
“Got it, Tokima.”
Miyamoto Tokima had already decided that Shuzo Nijimura would take control of the game in the third quarter.
As for why it wasn’t himself—there was no need.
Miyamoto Tokima simply couldn’t bring himself to feel any interest in the current Ryota Kise.
A Kise who couldn’t activate [Perfect Copy] didn’t even have the qualification to score a single basket in front of Zack.
Someone like that simply wasn’t worth Miyamoto Tokima making a move.
At present, there were only three people in Japan worthy of Miyamoto Tokima’s personal attention.
Daiki Aomine, Shintaro Midorima, and the second personality of Seijuro Akashi.
As for Atsushi Murasakibara?
Sorry—my precious one will be joining my team soon enough.
“Beep! Second quarter begins! Players, take the court!”
The referee blew the whistle to start the second quarter.
Miyamoto Tokima and the others stood up and returned to the court.
Kirisaki Daiichi’s lineup remained unchanged.
After all, they’d practically been coasting in the first quarter—the only one truly exerting himself was Shogo Haizaki.
The same was true for Kaijō High, with all five starters staying on the court.
The difference, however, was Ryota Kise.
Kise’s condition was far from ideal.
The break between quarters hadn’t been enough for him to fully recover his stamina.
Even standing on the court, he was still breathing heavily.
Yukio Kasamatsu noticed Kise’s condition and felt a complicated emotion rise in his chest.
The second quarter began, with Kirisaki Daiichi in possession.
This time, they were even more direct.
They didn’t even have Makoto Hanamiya bring the ball past half court.
The inbound pass went straight into Shogo Haizaki’s hands, making it obvious that they were handing full control of the offense to him.
Haizaki slowly dribbled past half court. Seeing Kise still slightly out of breath, he didn’t hesitate at all.
With a between-the-legs dribble, he blew past Kise on the right.
Kise didn’t dare hesitate, sticking tightly to Haizaki.
Suddenly—
Haizaki abruptly pulled back behind the three-point line and jumped.
‘A three?!’
Kise’s heart jolted. He immediately followed, leaping high to contest.
But once airborne, Kise’s expression changed.
‘Damn it… why is he getting farther away?!’
In the stands,
Taiga Kagami’s heart trembled at the familiar motion. His voice shook as he said,
“That’s… Midorima’s…”
…
Shūtoku’s side.
Shintaro Midorima’s pupils contracted slightly when he saw the familiar movement. He then shook his head and murmured,
“Akashi… your decision seems to have been wrong.”
…
Tōō’s side.
Daiki Aomine kept his eyes on the court. After noticing Haizaki’s movement, he muttered,
“Has [Pillage] really reached this level already?”
He then looked toward Ryota Kise and sighed regretfully,
“What a shame. Your talent is clearly better than Haizaki’s, but your awakening is just too slow. Hopefully this loss will speed up your growth.”
Aomine’s impression of Kise was actually quite good.
Although Kise could be annoying at times, he never gave Aomine any negative feelings.
Haizaki, on the other hand, was either in the process of pissing Aomine off or already had.
Every time Aomine saw him, he felt the urge to rush over and beat him down on the spot.
But it wasn’t the same kind of dislike as in the original story.
It was just that the current Haizaki was really asking for it…
Even Miyamoto Tokima and Shuzo Nijimura sometimes couldn’t resist wanting to take a swing at him.
…
On the court.
Shogo Haizaki scored with a fadeaway jumper.
The score became 29–22.
After the basket, Haizaki glanced at Ryota Kise before turning around to get back on defense.
Kise was exhausted, but he didn’t dare relax for even a moment.
Kaijō’s scoring burden now rested entirely on him.
“Ball!”
Kise held out his hand, calling for the pass.
Kasamatsu looked at Kise, panting heavily, and felt a strange emotion stir within him.
Still, he passed the ball to Kise.
.........
...
Chapter 163: The Reappearing Lightning Dribble
Ryota Kise caught the pass and immediately launched into an attack.
He drove right with a between-the-legs dribble past Shogo Haizaki, then instantly stepped back to the perimeter and rose for a jump shot.
Seeing the familiar motion, Shogo Haizaki sneered.
He planted his right foot, lunged forward, and leapt high into the air, completely sealing off Kise’s shooting lane.
Kise’s expression changed the moment he saw it in midair.
‘How is this possible?! He kept up that fast?!’
Smack!
Haizaki slapped the ball clean out of Kise’s hands.
“You’re thinking way too naively!”
The ball flew straight out of bounds.
“Beep! Out of bounds! Kaijō ball!”
Ryota Kise stood frozen in place, gasping heavily, looking utterly disheveled.
Shogo Haizaki casually wiped the sweat from his face with his jersey and stepped up beside Kise, ready to defend again.
Play resumed. Kaijō inbounded the ball.
Kise immediately broke free, caught the pass, and held the ball tightly as he stared straight at Haizaki, his mind racing.
[Copying] Haizaki’s recent moves was impossible.
Haizaki knew every move he had used lately far too well—there was no way he would let Kise score so easily.
The only option left was to catch him off guard.
Kise took a deep breath, suddenly lunged forward, then exploded sideways and rose into a jump shot.
The initial burst threw Haizaki off balance, forcing him to shift his weight back a step.
Only after Kise moved laterally did Haizaki react.
He lunged forward immediately, but it was already too late.
The ball left Kise’s hands, tracing a beautiful arc through the air before dropping cleanly through the net.
After scoring, Kise’s breathing grew even heavier.
“Huff… huff… huff…”
Yukio Kasamatsu noticed and felt a bitter knot form in his chest.
They were the seniors. By all rights, the pressure of scoring should have been theirs to bear.
And yet—
All of it was now resting on a first-year. On their junior.
The thought left Kasamatsu with a lingering sense of guilt.
Possession switched.
Shogo Haizaki received a pass from Makoto Hanamiya and looked at the heavily panting Kise.
“Kise, how much longer do you think you can last like this?”
Kise replied between gasps,
“Huff… huff… I’ll last until you’re off the court.”
Haizaki’s lips curled upward.
“Oh?”
“Then let me see how strong your resolve really is.”
As he spoke, Haizaki began pounding the ball hard with his right hand. Each bounce slammed into the floor with a thunderous sound.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Kise’s pupils shrank.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
This was a move he could never forget.
The very move that had blown past him three times in a row back in middle school.
“Lightning… Dribble…”
Kise murmured.
Thud! Thud!! Thud!!! Thud!!!! Thud!!!!!
Haizaki’s dribbling grew heavier and heavier, the sound echoing louder with every bounce.
In the stands.
On Shūtoku’s side.
Kazunari Takao covered his ears.
“What the heck is that? Why is it so loud?!”
Shintaro Midorima’s expression darkened slightly.
“Lightning Dribble… Haizaki, you’ve even mastered that now?”
On Seirin’s side.
“Lightning Dribble?! That’s Haizaki’s move?!”
Shinji Koganei exclaimed.
Tetsuya Kuroko shook his head.
“No. Lightning Dribble belongs to Kotaro Hayama, one of the Uncrowned Kings.”
Koganei froze.
“Wait—does that mean Haizaki can even [Pillage] their techniques?”
Kuroko stared at the court and murmured,
“I didn’t know whether Haizaki-kun could [Pillage] their moves either… but it looks like he already has.”
On the court.
Haizaki’s dribbling power surged to its peak. He suddenly burst into laughter and shouted,
“Five Fingers!”
Crack!
In an instant, Shogo Haizaki became a gray streak of lightning, blasting past Kise’s right side.
By the time Kise and the rest of Kaijō reacted, the ball was already through the hoop.
Yukio Kasamatsu swallowed hard.
‘A monster…’
The entire Kaijō team was stunned, frozen in place by the sudden play.
Kise clenched his teeth and shouted,
“Ball!”
Kōji Kobori snapped out of it and immediately passed to Kise.
After receiving the ball, Kise advanced slowly into the frontcourt.
He faced Haizaki, took a deep breath, and steadied himself.
‘I… want to win.’
When he opened his eyes again, Kise began dribbling with full force.
The ball slammed into the floor once more, producing a deep, heavy sound.
Thud! Thud!! Thud!!! Thud!!!! Thud!!!!!
In the stands, Taiga Kagami’s eyes widened.
Could it be…?
On the court.
“Five Fingers!!!”
Kise roared, all five fingers driving powerfully into the ball.
He whipped the dribble hard to his left hand, and his body instantly turned into a yellow bolt of lightning, charging straight toward Kirisaki Daiichi’s interior.
But the moment Kise began that heavy dribble, Haizaki was already on guard.
He accelerated instantly, cutting off Kise’s path.
Seeing Haizaki keep up, Kise bit down hard.
Refusing to let the chance slip away, he unleashed [Lightning Dribble] again.
“Ahhh!!! Five Fingers!!!”
Crack!
Once more, Kise became a yellow flash of lightning.
With a sharp change of direction in mid-stride, he blew past Haizaki.
Haizaki’s face twisted in shock.
“H-how is that possible?!”
After breaking through, Kise leapt high into the air.
“Ahhh!!!”
BANG!!!
With a roar, Kise brought the ball down with his right hand like a battle axe, slamming it through the hoop.
The arena fell silent for a brief moment—then erupted into cheers.
Even Taiga Kagami couldn’t help but smile.
“Kise! That was beautiful!”
But amid the celebration, something unexpected happened on the court.
The instant Kise landed, he dropped to his knees.
His legs trembled violently, heavy as if filled with lead, completely unable to support him.
He clenched his teeth, trying desperately to stand.
But his legs refused to respond.
Frustrated, Kise slammed his hands against his thighs and shouted,
“Move! Move already! Ahhh!”
Yukio Kasamatsu noticed something was wrong and shouted immediately,
“Time out!”
The referee blew his whistle.
“Beep! Kaijō requests a timeout!”
...
Author's Note
Comments (0)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.