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Seeing Aomine Daiki in front of him, Hayama Kotaro raised an eyebrow and said, "Huh? I remember you're not a small forward, are you?" As he spoke, he shifted his gaze to Ryu. "You weren't scared away by me, were you? Hahahaha..."
Hayama Kotaro's sarcastic remarks didn't anger Ryu or Aomine Daiki.
Ryu simply said calmly, "Don't misunderstand. That guy's muscles have been a bit stiff lately. He heard you're not bad, so he switched places with me to warm up."
Ryu's words made the veins on Hayama Kotaro's forehead bulge. "Damn it!"
Aomine Daiki looked at Hayama Kotaro with excitement. "I heard you're pretty good. I hope you won't disappoint me later."
"What did you say?" Hayama Kotaro was completely enraged. How much did they look down on him! However, he quickly calmed down.
A loud whistle blew.
The match between Teiko and Fukuyama began.
Murasakibara Atsushi easily gained control of the tip-off. The basketball was passed to Aomine Daiki.
After receiving the ball, Aomine didn't move, but instead fixed his gaze on Hayama Kotaro, his eyes filled with a burning intensity.
Hayama Kotaro was equally serious. He had watched many of Aomine's games and had to admit that this guy was truly terrifying. Even as a "Thunder Beast", he had to be extremely careful.
"Hayama Kotaro, is it? Then let me see your strength!"
With that, Aomine Daiki's dribbling motion suddenly stopped. Then, he pushed off with his toes, going from zero to maximum speed instantly.
The sudden burst left Hayama Kotaro stunned.
Bang…
The sound of the basketball hitting the court rang out behind him.
Only then did Hayama Kotaro finally react—he had been outmaneuvered. "How could this be? Damn it, you won't get away with it!"
Hayama Kotaro hurriedly turned to chase him, but Aomine was already past the three-point line.
Without hesitation, Aomine dribbled directly into Fukuyama's paint.
Since the paint was empty, he executed a simple three-step layup.
2-0. Teiko scored the first basket.
Watching Aomine return to defense, Hayama Kotaro clenched his fists.
The game transitioned, and Fukuyama inbounded the ball.
The ball reached Hayama Kotaro's hands, and Aomine Daiki blocked his path without a word.
Seeing Aomine blocking him, Hayama Kotaro grinned, revealing a small canine tooth. "Not bad, you actually managed to score a basket, but..." As he spoke, his aura changed.
Thump... thump... thump...
The thunderous sounds of the basketball hitting the floor echoed throughout the court.
Aomine Daiki frowned, puzzled by his opponent's actions.
Hayama Kotaro continued, "I know you're strong, but I'm not weak either. Three!"
The instant he spoke, Hayama Kotaro vanished from Aomine's sight like a golden lightning bolt.
"What?" Aomine exclaimed in surprise, turning around immediately. He saw Hayama Kotaro already behind him. "Is that his dribbling?"
Aomine's lips curled into a smile. Finally, he'd met a worthy opponent. "That's more like it."
Whoosh...
A blue figure, like blue lightning, chased after the yellow streak of light.
"Huh?" Hayama Kotaro felt a chill behind him and was startled.
He hadn't expected Aomine to catch up so quickly.
Fortunately, he had already reached the restricted area. He gripped the ball with both hands, preparing to jump and shoot.
Just then, a dark shadow loomed over him.
The overwhelming pressure nearly made him drop the ball.
"This guy..." Hayama Kotaro looked at Murasakibara Atsushi in fear.
Seeing Murasakibara about to knock the ball out of his hands, Hayama gritted his teeth and tossed it to a teammate on the other side.
But he didn't stop there. Hayama landed and quickly moved into position, raising his hand to signal for a return pass. Without hesitation, his teammate passed it back. Upon receiving the ball, Hayama was immediately blocked again by Murasakibara.
This time, Hayama didn't pass. He dribbled and turned to the edge of the paint, creating distance between himself and the giant defender. He then jumped for a shot.
But just as the ball left his hand, a large hand mercilessly slammed down.
Thud.
The ball was violently slapped away by Murasakibara Atsushi. Hayama Kotaro was completely dumbfounded. "What is going on? When did this guy get here?"
But no one paid him any attention.
The ball landed and was picked up by Ryu, who had rushed over. Without a word, Ryu passed the ball to Aomine.
Aomine dribbled forward, heading straight for the opponent's basket. With the opposing players still in their own half, Aomine easily scored another two points.
4-0.
It was just two exchanges, one offensive and one defensive, but Hayama Kotaro felt the pressure crashing down on him like a raging sea.
Leaving aside Aomine Daiki's exaggerated speed, the sheer oppressive aura of Murasakibara Atsushi within the restricted area was enough to make him uneasy.
'Damn it, why are all the Teiko members monsters like this?' Hayama roared inwardly.
Even so, he had no intention of backing down. On the contrary, his eyes blazed with a fierce fire—a burning light of fighting spirit.
Sensing Hayama's resolve, Aomine Daiki grinned and stepped in front of him. This time, Hayama didn't rush to attack but instead adopted a triple-threat stance.
Although Aomine was strong, he himself was no weakling either.
"I won't lose to you," Hayama Kotaro grinned, revealing a sharp canine tooth. "Three..."
Before he finished speaking, the basketball in his hand began to slam into the ground.
Bang... bang... bang...
The sound was deafening, like a thunderclap. Aomine Daiki, who was closest, felt a ringing in his ears, and the spectators outside the court covered theirs.
"What was that? Why was it so loud?"
"That's Hayama Kotaro's signature move, the Thunder Dribble! No one has been able to stop him yet!"
"Is Fukuyama's 'Thunder Beast' finally going to unleash his true power?"
Bang... bang... bang...
The sound of the basketball hitting the ground continued. Aomine Daiki vaguely saw a flash of yellow lightning, and then the figure in front of him disappeared.
"What?" Aomine was startled and quickly turned around.
He saw that Hayama Kotaro had appeared behind him without him even noticing.
Seeing this, Ryu and the others also became more alert.
The "Uncrowned Five" were indeed not to be underestimated; even Ryu hadn't clearly seen Hayama's breakthrough.
After breaking past Aomine, Hayama Kotaro headed straight for Teiko's basket. Murasakibara Atsushi snorted coldly and stepped forward, ready to teach this arrogant fellow a lesson.
Seeing this, Hayama's lips curled into a smile, and a flash of yellow lightning appeared in his hand.
"Three!"
The third stage of the Thunder Dribble appeared again, instantly breaking through Murasakibara's defense. With no one left to block him, Hayama Kotaro casually tossed the basketball into the hoop.
The score was now 4-2.
As the sound of the ball going through the net echoed, Murasakibara Atsushi turned around, somewhat dazed. What followed was boundless rage. "You bastard!"
Hayama Kotaro merely smiled, glanced sideways at the giant, and then jogged back toward his own half. Murasakibara was even more furious, stomping his foot hard as if to vent his anger on the floor.
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