Kotaro Hayama gritted his teeth and swatted away Shuzo Nijimura's shot.
Hotani quickly scooped up the deflected ball and shouted at the top of his lungs,
"Fast break!!!"
Whoosh!
A streak of yellow shot forward—it was Kotaro Hayama.
Seijuro Akashi's pupils shrank.
So fast!!!
Shintaro Midorima reacted instantly and sprinted after him. Shuzo Nijimura, having just landed, spun around and gave chase as well.
But with Kotaro Hayama fully unleashing his Animal Instinct and completely ignoring his stamina, it was as if he had slammed the accelerator to the floor. For the moment, neither Shintaro Midorima nor Shuzo Nijimura could keep up with him.
Suddenly, a black flash sliced between the two of them, charging straight toward Kotaro Hayama.
Kotaro caught Hotani's pass and sprang up for a layup.
Hotani's pupils dilated, as if he had seen something terrifying. He yelled urgently,
"Kotaro, watch out!!!"
Kotaro heard the warning and felt confused.
I'm on a solo fast break—what is there to watch out for?
The very next second, a dark shadow answered his question.
Miyamoto Tokima leapt high, his entire body soaring above Kotaro Hayama as his right hand smashed violently down on the ball.
Bang!!!
The basketball was slammed hard into the backboard, rebounding straight into Shintaro Midorima's hands.
Shintaro Midorima froze for a split second, then immediately reacted and charged toward Fukuda's basket.
Thud…
Kotaro Hayama crashed to the floor. Lying there, he stared up at Miyamoto Tokima looming over him, terror written all over his face.
H-how… how is this possible…? He… he actually caught up?!
After landing, Miyamoto Tokima let out a small sigh of relief.
Good. I made it in time.
He then extended a hand and asked calmly,
"You okay?"
Kotaro Hayama snapped back to his senses and shook his head.
"I'm fine."
He grabbed Miyamoto Tokima's hand and pulled himself back up.
Once on his feet, Kotaro Hayama said sincerely,
"You're strong."
Miyamoto Tokima smiled faintly.
"You too."
Swish!
The three-pointer counted. Shintaro Midorima had nailed a shot from beyond the arc.
Shintaro Midorima jogged over and asked,
"You alright, Tokima?"
Miyamoto Tokima shook his head to indicate he was fine.
Kotaro Hayama glanced at him with a complicated expression, then turned his focus back to the game.
Possession changed.
After receiving Hotani's pass, Kotaro Hayama stopped forcing things against Miyamoto Tokima. Instead, he called for a screen from the center, creating a mismatch and once again facing Atsushi Murasakibara.
Kotaro Hayama went all out. With Animal Instinct activated and Lightning Dribbling in full force, he blew past Atsushi Murasakibara and finished at the rim.
Atsushi Murasakibara's expression turned extremely ugly. Kotaro Hayama had already scored over him multiple times, and the anger inside him burned hotter by the second.
On the next possession, Atsushi Murasakibara showed no mercy, relentlessly attacking the paint and making Fukuda's center suffer.
Possession changed again. Kotaro Hayama still chose the mismatch, driving past Atsushi Murasakibara for another basket.
Meanwhile, Atsushi Murasakibara vented all his frustration on Fukuda's center, leaving him with nothing but misery.
Even so, the score remained locked in place. Teikō Middle School continued to lead Fukuda by more than twenty points.
Seeing that the gap refused to close, Kotaro Hayama realized it was time to change tactics.
He stopped targeting Atsushi Murasakibara and instead went at Seijuro Akashi. After breaking past Akashi, he drew Miyamoto Tokima into help defense and kicked the ball out to Hotani.
Hotani finished the play with a three-pointer.
After using this tactic to score twice in a row, Miyamoto Tokima felt a wave of frustration rise within him.
Come on… You really think you're the only one with moves?
Time to show you what Teikō is really capable of.
Miyamoto Tokima closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly opened them again.
He stopped thinking about everything else and focused solely on the court.
To onlookers, his body began to emit faint, milky-white light, and his entire presence seemed to change.
The Fukuda players sensed the shift and all grew serious.
Kotaro Hayama looked the most tense of all. He stared at Miyamoto Tokima warily, a question echoing in his mind.
What is this… now?
The Teikō players, feeling that familiar aura, broke into excited smiles.
"No-Self! I can't believe Miyamoto actually used No-Self in a match!"
Daiki Aomine exclaimed.
Coach Shirogane looked expressionless on the surface, but inside, his emotions were in turmoil.
Unbelievable… truly unbelievable.
To think Tokima could activate No-Self in an official game.
Possession changed.
Knowing Miyamoto Tokima had entered No-Self, Seijuro Akashi immediately passed the ball to him.
Miyamoto Tokima dribbled, his face completely blank as he locked eyes with Kotaro Hayama.
Kotaro Hayama spread his arms wide, knees bent, guarding with intense focus.
Come on.
Let me see what you've got this time!
Miyamoto Tokima dribbled with his right hand, thinking to himself,
Since you all love imagining things… I'll give you something worth imagining.
The force of his dribble gradually increased.
Bang! Bang!! Bang!!! Bang!!!! Bang!!!!!
The explosive sound of the ball echoed throughout the entire gym.
Hearing that familiar sound, the Fukuda players' eyes widened in shock.
They recognized the movement—recognized it all too well. One by one, they silently prayed, begging Miyamoto Tokima not to perform the move they feared.
Kotaro Hayama, the one facing him directly, was already frozen in shock. The moment he heard that dribble, his thoughts fell into complete chaos.
No… impossible…
How could this be…?
I must be imagining things…
He desperately tried to reassure himself, hoping Miyamoto Tokima was simply dribbling harder than usual.
But the next action shattered that hope completely.
"Four fingers."
Miyamoto Tokima murmured the words softly.
In the next instant, he dropped the ball with four fingers of his right hand. His body transformed into a streak of black lightning.
He ripped straight through Kotaro Hayama's defense and charged toward the basket. Near the rim, he leapt high.
Fukuda's center jumped immediately, arms raised, trying to stop the layup.
Miyamoto Tokima didn't panic at all. He pulled his arms in, curling his body tightly as he slipped past the center and finished with a smooth hook shot.
The entire sequence was identical to the move Kotaro Hayama had used earlier to score over Atsushi Murasakibara.
"You've… got to be kidding me…
That… that really was Lightning Dribbling…"
Hotani stood there dumbfounded, mouth hanging open, his face filled with disbelief—as if what he had just seen was some absurd nightmare.
Fukuda's center landed stiffly on the floor, eyes wide as bells, lips trembling. His body was completely frozen in place, terror etched across his face, as though time itself had stopped.
Kotaro Hayama stood where he was like a statue. His head hung low, as if lost in thought—or perhaps locked in a silent conversation with his own heart.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser