The basketball once again turned into a streak of light, flying toward the hoop.
After landing, Shintaro Midorima clearly felt the strain in his body.
First his wrist, then his lower back.
There was no helping it. Forcing a midair twist while launching a full-court three put tremendous stress on both.
He had never trained this kind of movement before, so using it like this placed a heavy burden on him.
Miyamoto Tokima noticed and gave a calm reminder,
"Midorima, you should use that less for now."
But Shintaro Midorima shook his head.
"No."
"At least for this game, I won't give up."
Miyamoto Tokima frowned.
"Even if your wrist gets injured?"
Shintaro Midorima did not respond. He simply lowered into a defensive stance.
Seeing this, Miyamoto Tokima said nothing more and waited for the inbound.
Soon, Makoto Hanamiya passed him the ball.
Miyamoto Tokima caught it with one hand, glanced at Shintaro Midorima's focused defense, and said,
"In that case, let me see your resolve."
The moment he finished speaking, he exploded forward.
Like he had boosters on him, he blew past Midorima on the right.
Midorima quickly turned to chase.
But in the next instant, Miyamoto Tokima stopped sharply, crossed between his legs, and stepped back to the three-point line.
He bent his knees and shot.
The motion was smooth and seamless.
By the time Midorima stopped and tried to close in, the ball was already gone.
"So fast!"
Midorima exclaimed.
Miyamoto Tokima's release was even faster than before.
"So you weren't even going all out before."
Midorima clenched his teeth and looked toward the ball.
Swish.
As the ball dropped in, his fists tightened again.
This was only going to get harder.
...
Possession switched.
Kirisaki Daiichi stuck to their usual setup. Atsushi Murasakibara and Dicky Anthony moved into position to pressure the inbound.
Miyamoto Tokima guarded Midorima one-on-one.
As usual, Midorima kept moving, quickly finding open space.
Part of that was because Miyamoto Tokima was holding back slightly.
Kiyoshi Miyaji passed the ball over.
Midorima caught it, gathered briefly, and jumped.
Miyamoto Tokima leaped immediately, completely sealing off his shooting path.
Midorima clenched his teeth and twisted midair, trying to release from the side.
But Miyamoto Tokima twisted with him in midair, blocking him again.
Midorima instantly passed the ball.
He landed, sprinted, received it again, and jumped once more.
Miyamoto Tokima stayed with him the entire time, never losing position.
Everyone else could only watch the exchange.
This time, instead of drifting sideways, Midorima leaned back.
Miyamoto Tokima was even more surprised.
A fadeaway three was one thing. Now it was a full-court fadeaway.
As Midorima leaned back, his expression turned strained.
The green lightning in his eyes became unstable.
He had reached his limit. A full-court fadeaway three was beyond what his body could handle.
But he still refused to stop.
"Haa!"
With a shout, he forced the shot out.
The ball arced high, hit the backboard, and dropped in.
The crowd erupted again.
"A full-court fadeaway three!"
"That's insane!"
The spectators were convinced Midorima would keep scoring like this.
But Daiki Aomine saw it differently.
"A bank shot..."
On the court, everyone understood the implication.
For Midorima, even a clean bank was already a warning sign.
And this was a hard bank.
That meant his full-court fadeaway threes
were no longer stable.
After landing, Midorima rubbed his left wrist, frowning.
Miyamoto Tokima stepped closer.
"Stop forcing it. Do you want to ruin your wrist?"
Midorima remained stubborn.
"No. I'll see this game through."
Miyamoto Tokima frowned, clearly irritated.
"You idiot. Fine. Do you really think I can't stop you?"
Midorima looked at him.
"Attack, Miyamoto."
Then he dropped into defense.
Miyamoto Tokima immediately noticed.
Midorima's left hand was trembling.
He sighed.
"If you're going to be this stubborn, even risking your wrist, then I won't let you shoot comfortably anymore."
He turned and waited.
Makoto Hanamiya understood immediately. Before even crossing half-court, he passed the ball over.
Miyamoto Tokima caught it and ignored Midorima completely, rising straight into a shot.
Midorima jumped to contest, but he was just a fraction too late.
He had not expected such decisiveness.
The ball brushed past his fingertips.
"So close."
Swish.
The shot went in cleanly.
Miyamoto Tokima walked over and said,
"Your turn."
Midorima steadied himself and began moving again.
The same sequence.
He got open, and Kiyoshi Miyaji passed the ball.
Atsushi Murasakibara and Dicky Anthony did not go for the steal. They simply applied pressure.
Their goal was obvious. Prevent the alley-oop.
Midorima caught the ball, gathered, and jumped.
"Midorima, you're too naive."
Smack.
Miyamoto Tokima's voice sounded as the ball was knocked away.
Midorima's pupils shrank.
He felt it.
The ball in his hands was gone.
Miyamoto Tokima had stripped it mid-jump.
He picked up the loose ball but did not attack immediately.
"There were plenty of times I could've taken the ball from you before."
"But now, I have to."
Because if he did not, Midorima's wrist really might give out.
Miyamoto Tokima let out a frustrated breath.
He had not expected Shintaro Midorima to be this stubborn.
......