Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 186: Shude's Light and Shadow

"Hey, how long are you going to sit here? Do you want me to pick you up? If you keep acting like this, I'll punch your glasses out!" Miyachi Kiyoshi said to Midorima Shintaro with an unhappy look on his face.

"Miyachi-senpai..." Midorima Shintaro looked up into Miyachi Kiyoshi's eyes, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Go back to the bench and rest now. Don't make a fuss. Staying on the court will bring shame to Shutoku High School!" After saying this, Kiyoshi Miyaji turned around and went back to the bench with an unhappy expression on his face.

"Let's go, Xiaozhen." Takao Kazunari stretched out his hand to Midorima Shintaro and said, "Take a rest first...Miyachi-senpai is not targeting you on purpose, he has always been like that..."

“……” Midorima Shintaro silently took Takao Kazunari’s hand, stood up, and walked to the bench.

"Are you okay, Midorima?" Nakatani Hitoshi walked to Midorima Shintaro with some concern and asked.

"I'm fine, coach." Midorima Shintaro said absentmindedly.

"Don't blame Miyaji for his harsh words, that's just how he is." Nakatani Hitoshi patted Midorima Shintaro on the shoulder and said, "To be honest, when I first met Miyaji, I didn't think he could last in Shutoku... His talent is too mediocre. As a basketball powerhouse in Tokyo, there are many people who are more talented than him in Shutoku."

As if he felt that the prospects of this game were not optimistic, Nakatani Jinliang also relaxed and talked to Midorima Shintaro like an old friend.

"But later, I was impressed by Miyaji's diligence," Nakatani Hitoshi said. "He was always the last one to leave after training every day. Until you came, Miyaji had always kept the key to the gym."

"Yes, Senior Miyaji is indeed a very hard-working player." Midorima Shintaro had empty eyes and no one knew what he was thinking. He responded to Nakatani Jinsuke in a disjointed manner.

"Actually, I don't know how to arrange the tactics now." Nakatani Jinliang looked at Midorima Shintaro calmly and said, "On the tactical level, we have done the best we can. Kaneki Ken's strength cannot be offset on the tactical level. The reason for calling this timeout is just that I hope you can rest for a while, take a breath, and don't be crushed by Kaneki Ken's pressure... Don't think too much, just enjoy this game..."

"Enjoy the game..." Midorima Shintaro laughed at himself, "Now I am just like the opponents I defeated... Am I comforting myself with such a miserable excuse?"

“Xiao Zhen… I really don’t want to give up…” Takao Kazunari lowered his head, his expression unclear, “I’ve finally made it this far, and my seniors have helped me bear so much pressure and made so many sacrifices…”

"You're not willing to accept this...?" Midorima Shintaro recalled the conversation he had with Miyaji Kiyoshi and Ootsubo Taisuke a few days ago. "Yes, I'm really not willing to accept this..."

"We will definitely win..."

"Don't worry, just act boldly..."

"No matter how good Sakuragi Hanamichi and Kabaji Shigehiro are, I will try my best to grab every rebound..."

"We believe that you are no worse than Kaneki Ken. You are the most reliable trump card of our Shutoku High School..."

"Come on, Ace..."

"Throw it in, trump card..."

"trump card……"

"trump card……"

"What a bunch of idiots who make my blood boil..." Midorima Shintaro suddenly smiled with relief and said softly, "Hey, Takao..."

"What's wrong, Xiaozhen?" Takao Kazunari lowered his head and responded in a low voice.

"Let's use that move when we get on the court later..." Midorima Shintaro's eyes seemed to have made up his mind.

"That move?" Takao Kazunari looked at Midorima Shintaro in disbelief, "Isn't this too risky?"

"What's wrong? Are you worried that you won't pass the ball well?" Midorima Shintaro asked with a smile while looking at Takao Kazunari.

"How is that possible!" Takao Kazunari looked at Midorima Shintaro's determined expression, and his eyes no longer hesitated, "I am the starting point guard of Shutoku High School, Takao Kazunari!" "Ken-kun, do we still need to use the full-court defense formation just now?" On the bench of Shonan High School, Momoi Satsuki looked at Kaneki Ken and asked, "Will this defensive method put too much pressure on you..."

"No need." Kaneki Ken took a sip of water and said, "No matter what Midorima Shintaro does next, it will not exceed my prediction. I already know all the data of Shutoku High School."

"Beep beep~"

As time went by, the whistle sounded, signaling the end of the timeout, and players from both teams returned to the court.

"It seems that Kaneki Ken has completed the last step against Shintaro." Akashi Seijuro's eyes revealed a trace of solemnity, "Shutoku High School's tactical positioning has been completely seen through by Kaneki Ken, and Midorima Shintaro's subconscious reaction when facing high-pressure defense has also been tested by Kaneki Ken. Shutoku High School now has no cards to play."

"No wonder Kaneki Ken has returned to his normal attack and defense positions..." Hayama Kotaro nodded and asked tentatively, "But... Akashi, don't you think the expressions on the faces of the players of Shutoku High School are a bit strange... They don't look like they are going to surrender..."

“What’s going on…this look of wanting to fight to the death…” Mitsui Hisashi looked at the fierce expression of Takao Kazunari in front of him and his heart suddenly began to beat.

Not only Takao Kazunari, Ootsubo Yasuke, Kishimoto Misaki, and even Tsuchiya Jun, they all had expressions as if they were fighting for their lives.

"Why, are you fighting now?" Kaneki Ken smiled and glanced at the expressions on the faces of everyone at Shutoku High School, then looked at the calm Midorima Shintaro and said, "Isn't it too late? After all, you guys now... don't have the slightest chance of winning!"

"You're wrong, Kaneki." Midorima Shintaro's eyes were extremely firm, "We Shutoku High School... deserve any victory!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Midorima Shintaro suddenly took two steps back, Kishimoto Misaki and Tsuchiya Jun suddenly stepped forward and clamped Kaneki Ken tightly, and at the same time, Ootsubo Yasuke seemed to burst out with all his strength and trapped Kabaji Shigehiro behind him.

"What's going on... this momentum, this action... could it be that move... was practiced in advance?" Kaneki Ken was suddenly shocked, and finally understood where the sense of disharmony that had been lingering in his heart since the end of the pause came from.

"You're strong, Kaneki." Midorima Shintaro started shooting with his bare hands, "But just like you believe that your strength can back up your less powerful teammates..."

As he said this, Midorima Shintaro jumped up as if he really had a basketball in his hand.

"Xiao Zhen!"

Takao Kazunari shook off Mitsui's entanglement with a sway, and with a light push of his hands, the basketball turned into a red light and flew towards Midorima Shintaro.

"boom!"

Just when Midorima Shintaro was about to shoot, the basketball flew into Midorima Shintaro's hands just right. Midorima Shintaro flicked his palm, and the basketball drew an arc and soared into the air.

"I never expected that..." Kuroko Tetsuya, who was watching from the sidelines, said in disbelief, "Midorima Shintaro would actually make such a choice..."

"Yeah, this kind of shot choice is really incredible..." Kagami Daiya exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

"I'm not talking about this kind of shooting choice. After all, there is no shooting choice more outrageous than a full-court shot..." Kuroko Tetsuya said, "Let's put it this way, everyone knows that Midorima-san is to some extent the same as Kaneki-san. He is the kind of basketball player who will only take action when the probability of success is the highest... But now he chooses to trust Takao-san, and believes that he can pass the ball to him accurately at the critical moment..."

"Ah, of course I believe it!" Midorima Shintaro seemed to see the disbelief in Kaneki Ken's eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Do your best and wait for fate, I have always believed in this... I used to think that I was the only one who could do my best... I also often felt that it was not enough for a team to do my best alone... But now, I have confirmed... There is no one in the Shutoku High School team who does not do his best!"

"Shh!"

As Midorima Shintaro finished his words, the basketball turned into a meteor, falling from the top of the arc and hitting the net.

"An alley-oop three-pointer! It was an alley-oop three-pointer!" Heihachi Tashiro stood up excitedly and shouted on the sidelines, "After the timeout, Takao-san and Midorima-san teamed up to make an incredible shot!"

"Very interesting, Shintaro." Akashi Seijuro looked at Midorima Shintaro with a hint of respect. With his keen eyesight, he could naturally see that Midorima Shintaro's move was used to deal with him and Kaneki Ken.

"What an amazing duo..." Kiyoshi Teppei exclaimed as he watched Midorima and Shintaro fighting side by side and celebrating with fist bumps, "These two guys are very similar to Kagami and Kuroko... No, they are simply the light and shadow combination of Shutoku..."

(End of this chapter)