"Damn it."
Wakamatsu cursed under his breath, failing to block Yuuto.
"Cut the crap, hurry up and inbound." Aomine's expression was cold as frost.
He felt the pressure, just like that match a year ago.
However.
The current him hadn't wasted time; he had been training hard. He could clearly feel he had become stronger, and his physical stats had improved across the board.
But the pressure Yuuto gave him hadn't changed.
This pressure stimulated him deeply.
His fighting spirit was completely ignited.
"Hmph."
Wakamatsu was even more annoyed. He walked to the baseline, took the ball from the referee, and inbounded it.
Not to Aomine, but to Imayoshi Shoichi.
Does this guy want to die?
Aomine glared over; Wakamatsu stared back without backing down.
Imayoshi only felt a massive headache. This team was really hard to lead. He could only quickly pass the ball to Aomine.
Only then did Aomine shift his attention, rushing up in one breath, target pointing straight at Yuuto.
Their duel was extremely fierce, the offensive and defensive speeds exceptionally swift.
But the pace of the game wasn't actually particularly fast because neither could easily pierce the other's defense.
However.
That was the offense and defense before.
When Aomine approached the three-point line, Yuuto immediately went up to meet him.
Golden and black lights intersected in an instant, unfolding a jaw-dropping duel.
Lion of Okushirazome, Generation of Miracles.
These two nicknames represented the peak of high school basketball in Japan today.
Whether in talent or immediate combat power.
Other players simply couldn't intervene.
This is high school level competition; one player deciding the outcome of the entire game happens from time to time.
For example, the historic-level power forward Garnett.
In high school, he could average 25 points, 17.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 6.5 blocks.
Versatile to an outrageous degree.
Even if he wanted to, getting 30 assists in a game wouldn't be impossible for him.
Why?
The gap in strength was too big.
High school leagues are different from the NCAA National Championship, especially teams making it to March Madness, which are elite teams and players from all over the US.
But high schools don't have so many monsters running rampant. A state might produce only one player with lottery-level potential in a year.
This player would be invincible within the state, with hardly anyone to contend with.
Even Dwight Howard could be described by scouts as a genius with outstanding athletic ability, invincible rim protection skills, and precise shooting.
Kobe too.
This historical "Blacksmith" (slang for missing shots/volume shooter) was hailed in high school as a Magician with Jordan's scoring ability.
Who the hell do you argue with about that?
Although the Nationals are national-level, the Asian gene pool doesn't have that many talents.
The Generation of Miracles was hailed as once-in-a-decade, and Yuuto as once-in-fifty-years.
Aside from each other, it was hard to find players who could contend with them, even national first-class players like Iwamura and Imayoshi.
Tens of seconds later.
Aomine still scored with a dunk in the paint using a move even he didn't anticipate.
Yuuto's eyes lost their pupils for a moment before regaining clarity. Silently, another correction was completed.
This made Tōō's Ace look increasingly solemn.
"A year ago, it took half a game to correct; why is it so much earlier this year?" Katsunori Harasawa couldn't figure it out.
He only knew Yuuto was correcting Aomine at an extremely fast speed.
Soon.
Yuuto would become a player specifically designed to counter Aomine.
"Probably related to the evolution of Yu's eyes." Momoi thought of Yuuto's eyes.
They seemed to be constantly evolving, from simply having no blind spots, to seeing specific body data, to later becoming able to predict and analyze tactics and players like her but a step further.
All of this was inseparable from the evolution of those eyes.
Yuuto didn't know about matters off the court.
He dribbled past half-court again, sweeping through the opponent's hinterland like a hurricane.
Aomine could keenly feel it.
Facing Yuuto this time, the pressure increased again compared to the last possession.
Forced by the threat of Yuuto's three-pointer, he dared not leave him open and had to stick close to Yuuto at all times.
This brought great convenience to Yuuto's drive.
Whoosh!
Yuuto crashed into Tōō's paint like a human sun, wrapped the ball behind his back, and flicked his wrist.
The basketball drilled into the net miraculously.
Formless Basketball.
Like his range, Yuuto's Formless Basketball wasn't as authentic as Aomine's. Because what granted him this ability was the talent Acrobatic Shot, and it was passive.
But even so.
Simultaneously possessing a shrunk version of Green (Midorima) + Blue (Aomine) abilities, combined with Yuuto himself, his existence was astonishing enough.
"How long did it take?"
"8 seconds. 3 seconds faster than the previous possession."
Midorima was expressionless.
They were talking about the time Yuuto consumed for this attack.
From their respective times, one could see that Yuuto was taking control of the game bit by bit.
Aomine needed over ten seconds to complete an attack, but Yuuto had entered single digits.
Moreover.
This time would decrease little by little.
49:45!
49:47!
52:47!
52:49!
The scores of both sides grew rapidly. Katsunori Harasawa had no solution for this.
He couldn't call a timeout and then tell Aomine, "Play more as a team, stop singling out."
That wasn't Aomine's style, nor was it Harasawa or Tōō's style.
More importantly, even if he asked, Aomine might not listen.
"This tug-of-war looks like it will have a winner soon."
"Yeah, didn't expect even a monster like Aomine to be suppressed..."
Aomine's playing style was the type that screamed "Explosive Talent" at a glance.
Through his scoring, defense, and running, one could visibly feel how stunning his talent was.
So.
When such a person was suppressed by Yuuto, people's surprise increased a few degrees.
Harasawa squatted on the sideline pondering countermeasures.
Feeling aggrieved with strength he couldn't use; the match completely deviated from his plan.
This wasn't the rhythm he wanted.
"Harasawa looks troubled."
"Ah, that's what happens when facing that child."
Masaaki Nakatani had an "I knew it" expression.
No matter how exquisite their deployment, it would soon be destroyed.
Seiho didn't have just one coach; you could completely treat Yuuto as a coach on the court.
And this coach had invincible on-the-spot reaction and adjustment capabilities.
The fierce confrontation on the court continued, but this tug-of-war was about to reach an inflection point.
Tōō's possession. 15th second.
However, Aomine was still blocked at the free-throw line, unable to take a step forward.
He wanted to use Yuuto's instinct to slap the ball in the opposite direction of his body lean.
"A mistake?"
"How could he make a mistake? He's Aomine!"
That's right.
He was Aomine; he couldn't make such a low-level mistake.
This was bait!
Similar moves, Imayoshi Shoichi had seen more than once during practice.
So far, no one could crack it because no one could overcome their own instincts.
Yes.
Instincts indeed aren't something one can overcome just by saying so; even Yuuto couldn't do it.
But if he saw it clearly, that was another matter.
The moment Aomine slapped the ball out, Yuuto's pupils dilated abruptly.
The next second.
Smack!
The ball was poked away.
Under Aomine's gaze, Yuuto's arm lifted from slow to fast, finally stabbing out like a spear!
"Stolen!!!"
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"