Kuroko's Basketball: I'm not the boss?

Yuki kept her eyes fixed on Midorima's steps, her hands held horizontally at her sides, mentally calculating every offensive opportunity Midorima had. If he were facing an ordinary shooting guard, he would have put on a spectacular defensive performance right there on the spot.

Unfortunately, this person is Midorima.

In the blink of an eye, Midorima had judged the strength of Yuki's defense. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he was somewhat surprised.

This guy is blocking every step I take forward?

Realizing the regular progress

Attacks are mostly ineffective, and Midorima had already thought of a countermeasure the moment he made his initial breakthrough.

He pushed the ball with one hand and changed direction, suddenly rushing towards Yuki's side. Just as Yuki turned around to catch up with him, Midorima twisted his foot and immediately changed his move, rushing towards the center line of the half-court!

Yuki was stunned. In all his years of playing basketball and defending against so many offensive players, this was the first time he had ever seen someone drive away from the basket.

While Yuki was still in a daze, Midorima had already adjusted his center of gravity for the jump. He took a deep breath and used the shift in his center of gravity during the breakthrough to jump directly. In the air, he found the center of gravity that counteracted the recoil after the jump and then used his elbow and wrist to strike.

At that moment, the basketball seemed to transform into an orange beam of light, flying towards the basket in Haichang's half of the court with an exaggerated arc.

Yuki was stunned. He looked up at the basketball, then at Midorima, until the crisp sound of the net being swished rang out, and only then did Yuki come back to his senses.

"What...what is this thing??"

Yuki's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Although she had already witnessed Midorima's insane three-pointers, the difference between watching from the sidelines and defending him face-to-face was still very significant.

Xiangyang smiled helplessly, walked over to Yuki's side, and patted him on the head.

"Kid, you still have a lot to learn."

Xiangyang didn't blame Yuki for failing to stop Midorima. He turned to look at Takao, who was high-fiving Midorima, and said with a sneer, "Seriously, what kind of hero calls a screen? If you're so capable, why don't you have a one-on-one real man's showdown with me?"

Xiang Yang shook his head and sighed as he received the serve from his teammate. Then, standing in the half of the court at Haichang, he shouted to Ohara from a distance, "Ohara, come over and set a screen for me."

The two, who share a "zone" mode, have a better understanding of each other than before. The screen angle provided by Ohara is exactly the direction that Xiangyang likes to break through. And Xiangyang did not disappoint him. After using Ohara's body to create shooting space, Xiangyang hit a three-pointer with a jump step and threw the ball into the basket.

Haichang's three-pointer was effective, bringing the score difference between the two sides back to six points.

In the final moments of the second quarter, Midorima tried to take on Hikaru again, but without the help of screens, his ability to break through Hikaru's defense was not enough.

In the end, Xiang Yang could only add another steal to his stats, and the two sides entered the second half with an eight-point difference.

Due to a misjudgment of his own strength, Xiang Yang originally thought that the match against Xiu De would be a tough battle. In his plan, Hai Chang should be behind at the end of the first half. The "bombardment" tactic that he originally planned to use in the third quarter was temporarily put aside by Xiang Yang.

Meanwhile, with Shutoku and Kimura off the court, the Kaijo family's inside pressure was not great. In order to maximize the use of resources, Xiangyang brought Moriyama and Shimamura on the bench one after another to adapt to the game rhythm of the strong opponent.

The overall rhythm of the third quarter was more like a microcosm of the second quarter. Shutoku, who was behind, continued to play a four-protect-one strategy around Midorima, while Kaijo, who was in the lead, naturally did not change their formation casually.

Thus, with Xiangyang intentionally or unintentionally targeting Midorima, the two...

The two teams maintained a score difference of about eight points as they slowly entered the fourth quarter.

The only minor incident occurred at the end of the third quarter. During one of Midorima's dribbling attacks, his overall movements suddenly became much more coordinated than before. Although there was no apparent change, Hikaru, who had been closely watching Midorima, keenly noticed this change.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xiangyang acted decisively, risking a foul, and forcefully interrupted Midorima's offensive move. Although the referee blew the whistle and called a defensive foul on Xiangyang, giving Midorima two free throws, Xiangyang felt no regret whatsoever.

Are you kidding me? Where is this? The world of Kuroko's Basketball, where monsters and miracles fly everywhere.

If you dare to give the opponent even the slightest chance to breathe, those freaks will come up with some strange and bizarre things that will change the pace of the game.

Midorima, whose attack was interrupted by Xiangyang's rough move, was not annoyed. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, he once again took the ball and attacked Xiangyang one-on-one, trying to regain the feeling of being in control on the court at the end of the third quarter.

Unfortunately, Xiangyang didn't give Midorima any chance. Whenever Midorima's eyes looked wrong or his aura changed, Xiangyang would ignore everything and directly interrupt Midorima's attack.

Basketball trivia: The most effective defensive tactic against offense is always to commit a foul!

Xiangyang, whose understanding of the game is so profound, naturally has a thorough grasp of this principle.

In just three minutes, Xiang Yang received three fouls plus a first-degree foul!

(Basketball trivia: Flagrant fouls are divided into Level 1 and Level 2 fouls. Two Level 1 fouls or one Level 2 foul will force the player to leave the game.)

Including the foul he received at the end of the third quarter, Xiang Yang now has accumulated four fouls and one flagrant foul!

If either of these two things happens even once more, Xiangyang will lose the right to continue the game.

However... fouls are something that, as long as the number of times doesn't reach the limit, then no matter how many times, it's the same as zero times, and it has no impact on Xiangyang at all.

Although the players from Shutoku, especially Takao, were trying their best to draw a final foul from Hikaru and send him off the court.

But Xiang Yang, a seasoned veteran on the basketball court, naturally wouldn't give them that chance.

Until the very last minute of the game, Xiang Yang still had the same number of fouls and was still unable to leave the field.

Midorima, whose offensive rhythm was frequently disrupted by Xiangyang's fouls, was also unable to enter "zone" mode as he had hoped.

With 30 seconds left, the score difference between the two sides remained at six points. Shutoku's coach, Nakatani Hitoshi, had no choice but to substitute his starting players, call off the game, and withdraw from the competition.

Amid cheers from the audience, the Xiangyang team and Xiude players embraced and greeted each other, securing victory in the second semi-final match and successfully advancing to the finals!

When it was Xiangyang's turn to hug Midorima, Xiangyang patted Midorima's back with a smile in his eyes and said, "Don't call me despicable. I really don't want to face you in Zone mode. If I were a spectator, I would really like to see it."

Yes, by the middle of the third quarter, Midorima's thoughts had already been seen through by Hikaru.

All I can say is that Midorima was unlucky. If his opponent had been someone like Aomine or Kagami, he probably would have made no attempt to force him into zone mode before they faced off again.

Of course, over this long period of time, Xiangyang has never been a "hot-blooded male protagonist". Compared to evenly matched matches, he prefers a victory that is firmly in his grasp.

"It's okay, Xiangyang. Fouls are part of the game."

Midorima pursed his lips, looked at Xiangyang earnestly, and said, "Good luck in the finals."

"Okay, I'll take your kind words. It will definitely happen."

Chapter 237 Stadium Play

Chapter 237 The Stadium

Japan National Team Training Center

Kise was lying face down on the railing, his boredom practically written all over his face.

Meanwhile, on the basketball court, Qingfeng was practicing one-on-one with a senior player from the current national team.

Of course, it was less of a bullfight and more of a one-sided massacre.

Aomine dribbled the ball behind his back with alternating hands, occasionally making a large, fancy move. His playing style was very flashy, reminiscent of street basketball in the United States.

The player facing off against Aomine is none other than the current captain of the Japanese national team. Faced with Aomine's diverse offensive tactics, his eyes are getting tired, and his defensive focus has been completely disrupted by Aomine.

In the audience, Kise, who could tell at a glance who was better, raised his right hand and shouted weakly, "Ganbatte~ Mine-chan".

No sooner had Kise finished speaking than Aomine, like a bolt of lightning, swept past the Japanese captain in an instant, then faced the basket and responded to Kise's cheers with a powerful one-handed dunk.

Watching Aomine score so effortlessly, Kise covered his face with his hands and let out a wail: "Seriously, I've had enough! How long am I supposed to live like this?!"

Kise angrily slammed his fist on the railing, complaining, "This damn training center! We've practically cleared it out, why can't it open yet? Who made these rules? Three months of closed training? I can't even compete! If Kaijo doesn't win the championship this year because of this, who's going to compensate me?! Huh!"

Not far away, Kagami heard Kise's shouts. He walked slowly to Kise's side and said irritably, "You should be grateful. At least your Kaijo team hasn't been eliminated yet. Our Seirin team went home in the first round!"

“Teppei and the others have all graduated. Now, Shiro Rin is just me and Kuroko holding it together. I’m not there to take the lead, and Kuroko is leading the team against the Generation of Miracles all by herself. Just thinking about that scene makes me feel very uncomfortable.”

The veins on Vulcan's face bulged; he too was being tormented by the semi-military, feudal management of the training center.

If this place were full of strong players, allowing him to immerse himself in the joy of playing, then it wouldn't be a problem. However, since arriving here, he has essentially played against every single player on the Japanese national team, from start to finish.

All I can say is... it felt inferior to the national competition.

Even though their professional thinking and court awareness are not weak, in terms of individual ability, they don't even need "zone mode"; Kagami, Kise, and others can easily suppress them.

Kagami and Kise exchanged a glance, both reading helplessness and despair in each other's eyes.

Kise leaned against the railing, slowly squatted down, and finally sat down on the ground. He looked up at the ceiling and murmured, "I wonder what Xiangyang is doing now... He must be doing special training for the finals."

"I really want to see it..."

……

……

At this very moment, Xiangyang, whom Kise was thinking about, was sitting in an internet cafe.

"Four."

"Crush him to death."

"On the pipe."

"Two against one."

"I'm sorry."

"Wang Bang!"

"You played your cards so well!"

In a round of Dou Dizhu

To the background music, Xiangyang stares with dead fish eyes, frantically pouring cappuccinos at the two farmers while pocketing the gold beans he has won.

"Are all the netizens playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) this bad these days?"

Xiang Yang smacked his lips, picked up the soda from his computer desk, took a sip as if savoring tea, then clicked "Change Table" to continue his golden bean business.

Don't misunderstand, it's not that Xiangyang is being lazy and not going to training. In fact, he has already completed the training content set by Haichang, so he came to the internet cafe to relax.

As for why Xiangyang didn't go to Shark Gym for extra training, it's because just half an hour ago, he was shoved and kicked out of Shark Gym by Yako, who claimed that she was doing special tactics against Kaijo, so she couldn't let him see it.

"Seriously, does Ms. Masako really want to defeat me that badly? Special tactics, indeed. I wonder what kind of expression she'll have when she sees the artillery bombardment tactics tomorrow."

Xiangyang shook his head with amusement. If he were facing an offensive team like Touou or Seirin, known for their fast breaks, he would probably feel a little nervous.

However, the opponent was a clumsy team like Yangquan... To be honest, Xiangyang racked his brains but still couldn't figure out how to lose.

"If we just smash Yangquan to pieces tomorrow, will Masako cry...? Tsk, I kind of want to see."

The thought involuntarily arose in Xiangyang's mind, but he immediately shook his head and banished it from his thoughts.

"No, no, if that's the case, I probably won't be able to go back to Shark Gym tonight."

Xiangyang rubbed his nose and decided that, in order to have a more comfortable offseason, he should restrain his performance on the court and absolutely avoid the complacency that came with opening champagne in the first half.

After all, Yosen is no longer the same Yosen from the original work who was powerless to fight back after killing Murasakibara. The current Himuro can reliably enter "zone" mode. If he gets his touch right, it will be a considerable problem for Kaijo.

Thinking of this, Xiang Yang shook his head and sighed, "Forget it, let's go back to Haichang Gymnasium and shoot some more baskets."

Thinking this, Xiangyang picked up the soda on the table and drank it all in one gulp. He then turned off the computer, put his hands behind his head, and walked out of the internet cafe.