After consecutively using two of the Uncrowned Kings's signature moves, even Akashi Asuka's defense had a tiny crack.
But at the last moment, Akashi still leveraged his height advantage to block Kise Ryouta's attack path in time.
At that instant, the basketball in Kise's hands was almost out of control. Just as it neared Akashi's palm and was about to be blocked, Kise forcefully altered its trajectory, transforming what was supposed to be a shot into a long-distance pass.
Tsutomu Iwamura's eyes narrowed. He had been closely watching Kiyoshi Teppei and knew this move well.
SWISH!
Kaijo shooting guard Moriyama Yoshitaka caught the pass and, in an extremely unusual posture, released the ball into the hoop.
Three points.
3:3.
The crowd erupted in cheers as Kaijo successfully launched a counterattack.
Akashi's eyes glimmered with interest. "Interesting."
He was slightly surprised that Kise could imitate the skills of the Uncrowned Kings, since the original story never showed such ability.
Kise's imitation wasn't flawless.
In fact, in some respects, it had noticeable limitations.
First, Kise could not mimic techniques that exceeded his own physical capabilities. For instance:
During the Interhigh, he mimicked Aomine Daiki's staggering changes in pace by lowering his minimum speed, but his maximum speed remained far below Aomine's.
Second, Kise had to see the skill in person during a match to imitate it.
Under normal circumstances, studying videos or watching from outside the court made it difficult to capture all the nuances of someone's technique.
Especially for the Uncrowned Kings, their skill level was nearly equivalent to the Generation of Miracles, as each had unique talents and distinct playing styles.
For example, Hayama Kotaro's Lighting Dribble relies on his formidable wrist and finger strength.
Kiyoshi Teppei's Vice Claw depends on his enormous hands.
Like Aomine's speed or Midorima's shooting touch, these were innate gifts, not easily compensated for through training.
Compared to that, the Generation of Miracles' talents simply exist on a slightly higher tier.
Even so, imitating the Uncrowned Kings was far more difficult than copying ordinary players.
Previously, if Kise wanted to mimic them, he would have needed time to decode their moves, let alone without ever facing them directly…
"Kise's Imitation seems to have evolved even further!"
Satsuki Momoi murmured.
"That's normal. Ever since he broke through that bottleneck, evolving again is only natural,"
Aomine Daiki said, unsurprised. Since Kise had already imitated him before, copying a few Uncrowned Kings techniques was no big deal.
And if he could imitate Aomine, perhaps now he could even mimic the others…
·····
BOOM~
BOOM~
BOOM~
Seiho launched their second attack.
"You really got me there, Kasamatsu."
"Heh~~ If you've got the skills, come and take revenge!"
"Impossible…"
Kasuga Ryuhei faced off against Yukio Kasamatsu again. Kasamatsu had intended to provoke him into a one-on-one duel, but Kasuga wasn't biting.
As fellow point guards, a simple bait like that wouldn't work; otherwise, Kasuga would have long been benched.
With a feint, Kasamatsu faked him out, passing the ball to Akashi Asuka.
Kise immediately stepped up, closely guarding him. Like Midorima, Kise had abandoned the idea of blocking Akashi's three-point shot directly.
By now, Akashi's shooting height had reached a despair-inducing level.
Ordinary interference no longer mattered. Even without seeing the ball, Akashi could still make his shot as long as his form remained stable.
The only hope: steal the ball before he shoots or prevent him from shooting entirely.
"Nice defense!"
Kise's defensive pressure was just as strong as Midorima's, and his positioning and talent made him even more suffocating to Akashi.
"Are you sure you're close enough?" Akashi asked.
Kise froze, and the next second, Akashi seemingly teleported backward, instantly creating a large gap.
"Step-back… no, that's a fadeaway! But how is he so fast?"
Kise lunged forward, but he was just a step too late. As he moved, Akashi's ball had already left his hands.
SWISH!
Three points again.
6:3.
·····
"Whoa~~~"
"Nice shot!"
"What a beautiful fadeaway, it's like a perfect painting!"
The stands erupted in deafening cheers.
Even members of Shutoku and Yosen widened their eyes in awe, witnessing something breathtaking.
"Incredible precision!"
"Feels like a magnified version of Himuro."
"No, there's a difference. If Himuro's shot is like a university textbook example, Akashi's fadeaway is like a simplified elementary school version."
"Every motion from start to release is stripped of excess, less smooth than precise, more concise than fluid."
Araki Masako also murmured in admiration: "I can't imagine… without seeing it, it's hard to believe someone could reduce a shot to this level."