On the court.
Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki's pupils trembled violently, as if they had just witnessed something terrifying.
The Shūtoku players also stood frozen, staring at Shintaro Midorima in shock.
Crack.
Shintaro Midorima slowly opened his eyes. Green lightning flickered within them like writhing thunder.
Shuzo Nijimura couldn't help but mutter,
"No way..."
Shintaro Midorima had entered an extremely calm state, almost like a moment of enlightenment.
He felt both his mind and body had reached their absolute peak.
He slowly lowered into a half-crouch, then exploded upward.
This jump was higher than ever before.
Kiyoshi Miyaji reacted instantly and passed the ball.
Shintaro Midorima caught it midair, and then...
After catching the ball in midair, he actually went straight into his shooting motion.
Then he released it.
The basketball soared high, reaching the top of the arena before descending.
After landing, Shintaro Midorima brushed past Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki and calmly walked back on defense.
Both of them were completely stunned.
How were they supposed to stop that?
Before, Shintaro Midorima still had to land. Now he did not even need to touch the ground.
And previously, they could rely on Shogo Haizaki to interfere with the pass.
Because Shintaro Midorima was left-handed, Kazunari Takao always passed from his left side.
But now that was useless.
Shintaro Midorima could catch the ball midair and transition directly into a shot.
In other words, no matter where the ball came from, he could turn it into an alley-oop.
Even if it was Taisuke Otsubo or the others, as long as they threw it into the air, Shintaro Midorima could catch it.
Swish.
The ball dropped cleanly through the net, the mesh rippling.
Off the court, Satsuki Momoi recorded the data as she said,
"Tokima, Midorima has entered the zone."
Miyamoto Tokima nodded with a smile.
"I can see that. I'm just curious what his zone actually improves."
"If it's only alley-oops, that would be pretty boring."
Satsuki Momoi gave a knowing smile.
"You'll find out soon, Tokima."
...
On the court.
Shuzo Nijimura drove forward and forced a three-pointer over Shinsuke Kimura, sinking it cleanly.
Swish.
After the basket, Taisuke Otsubo immediately rushed out, picked up the ball, and threw it to Shintaro Midorima.
The speed was so fast that Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki had no time to react.
After receiving the ball, Shintaro Midorima, who normally needed two and a half seconds to prepare, jumped after just one second.
Shogo Haizaki's face filled with shock.
"No way!"
He could not believe it.
Shintaro Midorima now only needed one second to charge a full-court shot.
That meant their reaction window had become extremely short.
Off the court.
Miyamoto Tokima showed a hint of interest.
A full-court shot with a one-second release was practically impossible to defend.
He had thought that was already Shintaro Midorima's limit.
But in the very next possession, Shintaro Midorima shocked him again.
On the court.
Shintaro Midorima was tightly guarded by both Shuzo Nijimura and Shogo Haizaki.
Yet he remained completely calm, initiating a shooting motion from the free-throw line in his own half.
After a two-and-a-half-second setup, he jumped.
Under the stunned gazes of everyone, Kiyoshi Miyaji inbounded the ball directly to him.
The pass was slightly off, so Shintaro Midorima adjusted midair before releasing.
A full-court alley-oop three-pointer.
After releasing the shot, he landed and rubbed his wrist and shoulder.
Kiyoshi Miyaji's pass had been imperfect, forcing him to adjust midair and increasing the strain.
If it had been Kazunari Takao, he would not have needed to compensate like this.
Unfortunately, he had already been ejected.
The ball soared high, nearing the very top of the arena before descending.
Everyone in the arena stared at it, including Miyamoto Tokima.
The ball dropped steadily.
Swish.
The crowd instantly erupted.
"Oh my god! Did you see that? A full-court alley-oop three!"
"I saw it! That's insane! A full-court three is already unbelievable, and now he's doing it off an alley-oop!"
Cheers rang out as spectators excitedly shouted and talked among themselves.
Miyamoto Tokima stood up and clapped.
He was genuinely impressed. Shintaro Midorima's current performance even surprised him.
At this point, Shintaro Midorima was truly unstoppable.
Satsuki Momoi noticed Miyamoto Tokima's eager expression and tugged his hand.
"Didn't you say it was boring, Tokima?"
Miyamoto Tokima replied immediately,
"I didn't. I never said that. Satsuki, don't make things up."
Satsuki Momoi covered her mouth and laughed.
What a fool.
"Alright, alright. You didn't say it. So, Tokima, are you going in now?"
Miyamoto Tokima shook his head.
"No rush. I'll go in during the third quarter."
Satsuki Momoi nodded and did not call a timeout.
The game continued.
Shintaro Midorima kept scoring with one three-pointer after another.
Kirisaki Daiichi responded with threes as well, refusing to fall behind.
But mistakes were inevitable, so Kirisaki Daiichi missed a few shots.
Meanwhile, Shintaro Midorima was like a machine, executing everything with perfect precision.
Not a single miss. Almost like a conceptual god.
The second quarter ended.
66 to 66. A tie.
Halftime.
Back in the locker room, Shogo Haizaki was gasping heavily, almost out of breath.
Shuzo Nijimura was still holding up fine, after all, he had gone through intense training in the United States.
The others were also breathing heavily to varying degrees.
Atsushi Murasakibara took out a Delicious Stick from his bag, tore it open, and stuffed it into his mouth.
Crunch.
"Mm... so how are we supposed to defend Midori?"
"I've been running the whole quarter."
Shogo Haizaki kept gasping, his fists clenched tightly.
Shuzo Nijimura wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave a bitter smile.
"He's a monster. Even with both of us glued to him, we can't stop him. He jumps too high."
At that moment, Miyamoto Tokima spoke.
"It's fine. I'll guard Midorima in the third quarter."
Everyone turned to look at him, instantly reassured.
Miyamoto Tokima was stepping in.
.......
...
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