"Mmm~~ Even Tsugawa can't stop him? The Generation of Miracles really live up to their name!"
Matsumoto Yukinori watched the game unfold.
So far, Seiho could still barely keep up with Shutoku, but anyone with even a basic understanding of basketball could tell, they were already clearly falling behind.
The score stood at 23–16.
The first quarter wasn't even over, yet Seiho trailed by a full seven points. In the history of their matches, this kind of situation was almost unheard of.
"Five for five already. Looks like Akashi-kun was right, if Midorima Shintaro's shooting form isn't disturbed, he won't miss a single shot." Kitayama Yuzuki glanced at his stat sheet in surprise.
"Exactly. A perfect shooting percentage, combined with that insanely high arc that gives his team enough time to reset their defense… if we can't stop Midorima, he alone could destroy an entire team."
Matsumoto had heard countless rumors about the Generation of Miracles before. But only now, seeing it for himself, did he truly grasp what kind of monsters they were.
BEEP~~~
Just then, the referee's whistle signaled the end of the first quarter.
"Seriously, what the hell is with that shot? Can a normal person really be that accurate? Is this a manga world or something?" Sakamoto Kenjiro muttered as soon as he stepped off the court.
"I think I'm starting to understand why Tsugawa's team lost to Teiko by double the points in middle school. How the hell are you supposed to defend a shot like that?"
In the latter half of the quarter, Seiho had tried a double-team defense on Midorima, but it hadn't worked. His release point was too high; even when they saw him shoot, they often had no way to block it.
Tsugawa Tomoki shook his head. "No… to be precise, I don't even recognize this Midorima Shintaro. Akashi warned me many times that the Generation of Miracles would undergo a rapid growth spurt after entering high school, but I never imagined his skill would increase to this level."
"Compared to middle school, he's at least two or three times harder to deal with."
"And if I'm not mistaken… he still hasn't shown his true strength."
"You're wrong about that, Tsugawa."
Matsumoto Yukinori walked over. "It's not that Midorima isn't showing his full power, it's that he can't."
"What do you mean, Coach?"
"It's simple. Based on my own observation and the intel Akashi-kun provided, one thing's pretty much certain, Midorima's shooting: the farther he is from the basket, the longer it takes him to gather power, but the faster his release becomes.
The reverse is also true.
Tsugawa can't match Midorima's height, but in terms of speed and reaction time, he's not losing. That means if Midorima wants to beat Tsugawa's reaction, he has to shoot much closer to the basket."
"You all noticed, right? When Tsugawa was defending him, Midorima always released the ball right at the edge of the three-point line. That's the only way he can avoid Tsugawa's tight pressure."
"So don't be too discouraged, Tsugawa. Your defense isn't useless."
"I see… so that's how it is."
Matsumoto's explanation gave the players some clarity, followed quickly by frustration.
"But that still doesn't stop him from scoring! At best, Tsugawa's defense slows him down, it doesn't reverse the score!"
"Uh… well, you're not wrong," Matsumoto admitted, scratching his head awkwardly. "To deal with a monster, you really need another monster."
"Ugh, seriously, Coach, is that bastard Akashi still not here? If he doesn't show up soon, the game's going to be over."
"Don't rush. I've already sent someone to his class to get him, ah, speak of the devil. Looks like our 'monster' has finally finished cleaning duty."
==========
"Seiho doesn't seem that impressive after all!"
"Don't get cocky, Takao!"
Otsubo Taisuke immediately scolded him. "If they're ranked alongside Shutoku as one of the 'Three Kings of Tokyo,' it's not just for show. Until the final whistle, anything can happen."
"But so far, they haven't been able to stop Shin-chan at all! If they can't block his shots, then their 'Iron Wall' reputation doesn't mean much. I was watching closely, Seiho doesn't seem to have anyone who can block him!"
"Don't underestimate them, Takao."
This time, it wasn't Otsubo speaking, but Midorima himself.
"We might not be facing Seiho's true strongest lineup yet. The number 10 who was guarding me earlier, he might not actually be their toughest player."
"What? They've got someone even stronger?"
His words surprised not only Takao but also the other third-years. In their minds, Seiho's main players were already on the court.
Midorima nodded. "I only remembered when I saw their number 10. Before this, I didn't know which high school that guy had joined… but if the one I'm thinking of also joined Seiho, then things are about to get… troublesome."
Before he could finish,
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a tall figure entering the gym.
In that instant, his voice cut off.
Noticing his reaction, the Shutoku players followed his gaze,
And their expressions all changed.
"Whoa, that guy's huge, who is he?"
"When did Seiho recruit a player like that?"
"Huh? He looks… kind of familiar…"
Takao stared at the towering figure, easily over two meters tall, walking through the entrance. There was something faintly familiar about him.
It was none other than Akashi Asuka, fresh from finishing his cleaning duty.
The whole thing was ridiculous even to Asuka himself. Thanks to his excellent entrance exam scores, he'd been placed in Class A, one of the school's top academic classes. Normally, a room full of honor students wasn't immaculate, but it was never that bad either.
Unfortunately, during the lunch break, some unlucky soul had knocked over the trash can, scattering garbage everywhere.
Worse, as they were cleaning it up, the school's hygiene inspectors just happened to walk by.
And worst of all… this week seemed to coincide with their female homeroom teacher's "bad days."
One thing led to another…
And somehow, on the very day of this crucial practice match, Akashi Asuka ended up stuck doing cleaning duty.
"Sorry, Coach, I'm late!"
"Mm. Go warm up."
Matsumoto didn't scold him, after all, he was still a student, and cleaning the classroom was part of student life.
But the others clearly didn't share that patience.
Tsutomu Iwamura came up behind him, slung an arm over his shoulder, and said in a low, almost sinister tone, "You do know what happens if we lose this game… right?"
Asuka just smiled. "Relax, senpai. I'm solid."
=============
108 Advance Chapters Available on Patreon! Patreon.com/Veltoria [remove brackets]
250 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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