"Kagami-cchi?!"
Kise in the stands was stunned.
He saw Kagami's evolution; that heaven-defying jumping ability visibly improved by a large margin.
The talent belonging to him actually completed an awakening at this time.
And...
"Wildness! He also holds this talent!"
Including Kuroko, the Seirin bench players all widened their eyes, followed by a burst of ecstasy.
"This way, Seirin's chance of winning isn't infinitely close to 0 anymore." Midorima also didn't expect it.
After the six of them, another genius comparable to them would arrive.
Taiga Kagami, the first-year returned from the US, was evolving at an extremely fast speed and stepping onto the ladder belonging to the Generation of Miracles.
He even possessed the Wildness talent, which only 3 people in the country currently possessed.
Such evolution might bring uncertainty to the game.
The unforeseen development made Seiho players drop their jaws one after another.
Their captain was just posterized by an extremely humiliating move.
"I can play like this!"
His body suddenly became light, his brain became clear at the same time, and even his thoughts on the game were so smooth.
Kagami felt he had never been better.
His highlight didn't end there.
Back on the defensive end, he used an iron-blooded block to stop Seiho's scoring.
Almost the same offensive tactic as before, Yuuto attracted most of the defense and assisted a teammate.
Ryuhei Kasuga cut to the basket, caught the ball, and scored with his signature low layup, but was rejected by Kagami who killed his way back to the paint at the last moment.
His condition was shockingly good.
Jumping faster, jumping higher, as if he grew a pair of wings on his back.
The flame of hope seemed to be ignited once again.
The person was still the same person, the playing style hadn't changed.
It was just that the player's level improved a lot in a short time.
Riko Aida had the illusion of hitting the jackpot.
She didn't expect that in her second year of high school, she could actually welcome a genius player comparable to those six geniuses.
Shifting her gaze to the resting Kuroko, the fire in her heart was completely ignited.
"There's a chance!"
"Our Seirin this year is really hopeful!"
A Generation of Miracles-level combat power, a Phantom Sixth Man.
Such a lineup configuration was something even those high school powerhouses had never possessed.
Kagami's highlight continued.
Back on defense, he used a super jump again. When Ryuhei Kasuga thought it was impossible to interfere, Kagami's fingertips grazed the skin of the basketball.
"Nani?!" Ryuhei Kasuga had only disbelief in his eyes.
His shot had already left his hand, yet it was still blocked. This heaven-defying jumping ability was like having launchers installed in his legs.
The ball was picked up first by nearby Izuki Shun.
Seirin immediately instigated a counterattack, and Junpei Hyuga hit a transition three-pointer.
Seiho, known as the Iron Wall of Tokyo, was actually scored on consecutively by the opponent in a short time.
Was this still the team from the first half?
"Good shot!"
"Beautiful, Kagami!"
"Playing like this, we can win!"
The Seirin bench suddenly became lively, pacing neatly, shouting defense.
Shio Yamashita "couldn't sleep" anymore; his team encountered trouble.
He planned to apply for a timeout, needing to give the players a little time to calm down.
"Phew~"
Yuuto slowly exhaled at this time, seeming to sigh, or seemingly helpless.
When Ryuhei Kasuga received the baseline pass from a teammate, Yuuto opened his hand for the ball with his back to Kasuga.
"Coach Yamashita?"
"No, sorry, we don't need a timeout anymore."
Seeing his action, Shio Yamashita abruptly stopped the timeout he was halfway through calling.
He noticed Yuuto's expression.
That was the Yuuto he saw last year; he hadn't shown it again since coming to Seiho.
This proved he was entering the state now, truly serious about the game.
"Coach?"
"It's fine, just watch quietly."
Yamashita returned to the bench and sat down.
He felt he was worrying unnecessarily; his reaction was too intense.
Maybe those few attempts were just intentional by Yuuto to correct his own weaknesses as soon as possible.
Yuuto slowly dribbled across half-court.
Kagami stood at the very front, arms spread, center of gravity pressed very low, assuming a standard defensive posture.
"As long as we survive the third quarter, wait until that guy returns..." He couldn't help glancing at Kuroko on the bench out of the corner of his eye.
At that time, maybe they could really create a miracle.
But.
Bang!
The frequency of the basketball hitting the floor suddenly accelerated.
Still the five-finger Thunder Dribble, but the speed was hard to distinguish with the naked eye.
In an instant.
Kagami's instincts issued warnings to him frantically.
"Here it comes!"
He was ready to meet Yuuto's impact.
But in the next second, accompanied by an eruption of dazzling golden light, Yuuto, like a scorching sun, broke through Kagami's defense in one breath and scored.
An unreasonable score brought the excited Seirin crowd back to reality.
"This is... what is this?!"
The anticipation in Riko Aida's eyes disappeared quickly, replaced by the panic from not long ago.
"Just simply completed another evolution." Momoi had stopped recording.
Regarding Yuuto, she didn't have much to record.
His evolution speed was too fast. Even if she painstakingly found Yuuto's weakness...
It would only take one round for him to correct his own weakness, shattering her intelligence prediction.
"Truly a boy who makes people unable to guess at all." Momoi smiled even with her eyes.
She never considered that Seirin could defeat Seiho.
On the court.
Taiga Kagami bravely held the ball facing Yuuto directly.
As a first-year player, his ability was already very strong.
High school basketball is actually similar to the NCAA.
First-year absorbs fresh blood, second-year is potential stock, third-year is the absolute core.
Only a few geniuses can make the team starters in the first year; most players start from the bench.
This fact can be known by casually looking at the rosters of participating teams.
Most team starters are third-year players.
Seiho was no exception. Except for Yuuto and Tomoki Tsugawa, the other 3 were third-year players, even the main rotation players were.
That Kagami could serve as a starter, and as the team Ace, was enough to prove his combat power.
But today.
This returnee suffered a ruthless beating.
Head-on one-on-one, Kagami couldn't pass Yuuto after tangling for several seconds, stuck near the free-throw line unable to move, and was even being gradually pushed back.
Helpless.
He planned to give the ball to Izuki Shun and cut to play a "wall pass" coordination similar to soccer.
But as soon as the ball left his hand, Yuuto erupted violently, extending his hand lightning-fast to destroy his pass.
Couldn't even pass!
Kagami's pupils were trembling. Single-minded as he was, his confidence seemed to be shattered at this moment.
Yuuto's figure magnified rapidly in his gaze—unattainable, unmatched.
Then.
Yuuto rushed out like a humanoid sun. Seirin's three players completed the return defense.
But after a golden light flashed, the basketball entered the net crisply.
Unreasonable individual ability pushed Seirin back into the abyss once again.
...
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