Kuroko's Basketball template: the king of slacking off, Shohoku's strongest sixth man.

On the stands.

Coach Taoka of Ryonan had by this time abandoned his initial contempt.

He crossed his arms, his eyes piercing.

He was staring intently at Rukawa Kaede, who had just completed a putback dunk.

That last shot was more than just a two-point play.

It was like a heavy hammer, smashing open Xiangyang's seemingly indestructible "height" barrier.

"The real battle begins now."

"It's a deep voice," Taoka Shigeichi said, his voice trembling slightly.

"Shohoku's momentum has been built up."

"That number 11, Rukawa Kaede... although he's a rookie, he has the ability to break the deadlock."

"That unreasonable basketball talent, and that almost obsessive desire to win..."

Taoka Shigeichi took a deep breath, as if making a prophecy:

"If nothing unexpected happens, Rukawa Kaede will definitely become a great basketball star in the future."

"Perhaps... even surpassing the Immortal Path."

Sitting next to him, Aida Hikoichi's pen was paused on the notebook, the tip already piercing the paper.

He looked at the cold, aloof figure on the field, then looked down at his own thin frame.

A hint of envy, even jealousy, flickered in his eyes.

“That’s great…”

"Having that height and that talent."

Yan Yi bit her lip, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.

"Someone like me, no matter how hard I try, will never have the chance to become a star like Rukawa Kaede."

"Is basketball... ultimately a sport for giants?"

This idea wasn't just in Yan Yi's mind.

At this moment, the audience in the stands also focused their attention on another "weak point" of Shohoku.

The one wearing the number 7 jersey.

A figure that appears exceptionally small amidst a field filled with tall players—Ryota Miyagi.

"Hey, look at Shohoku's point guard."

"Isn't that too short? Is she even 170 centimeters tall?"

"I estimate it to be around 168."

Several audience members pointed and whispered, their tone full of skepticism.

"All of Xiangyang's members are over 190 cm tall, so number 7 looks like a primary school student who has blended into a group of adults."

"If I were Shohoku's coach, I would relentlessly attack this point."

"That's right. As long as we block his passing lanes or shoot directly over him, Shohoku is finished."

"That short guy is definitely Shohoku's weak point!"

Although the discussions were noisy, some of the voices still reached the audience.

Ryota Miyagi's ears twitched.

He reached out and touched his sparkling earring, a roguish smirk playing on his lips.

"Breakthrough?"

"dwarf?"

His gaze gradually sharpened, like a dagger just drawn from its sheath.

"Looks like... I've been underestimated."

Just then, the situation on the field suddenly changed.

Shoichi Takano, number 8 from Shohoku, receives the ball.

Faced with the intimidating power of Rukawa Kaede's dunk, his movements froze for a moment.

Just as he was about to dribble and adjust his rhythm, his footwork went awry.

"beep--!"

The referee whistle blows.

"Green number 8, walking violation!"

"Shohoku has possession of the ball!"

opportunity!

Ryota Miyagi's eyes lit up, and he took the ball directly from the referee.

Without any pause, and without even waiting for teammates to get into position.

"Quick attack!!"

With a loud roar, Miyagi Ryota sprang into action like an arrow released from a bow.

On the sidelines, Kenji Fujima, who had been sitting calmly, finally changed his expression.

He suddenly stood up and shouted into the arena:

"Ito! Guard against number 7!!"

"Don't let him run!!"

Shohoku's point guard, Ito Taku, reacted extremely quickly.

Taking advantage of his 180cm height and long legs, he quickly moved to the side and blocked Miyagi's path.

"Don't even think about going there!"

Ito Taku spread his arms wide, like a giant net, trying to cover Miyagi.

In his view, this height difference was enough to block all of Miyagi's paths of advance.

However, he was wrong.

Big mistakes.

Ryota Miyagi looked at the high wall in front of him.

Suddenly, images of being tormented by that bastard Lin Bei over the past few days flashed through my mind.

Hey, Miyagi, your dribbling is too slow!

Lower your center of gravity further! Do you want to be a target?

Dribbling needs rhythm, even controlling the opponent's rhythm!

Those hellish training sessions, those muscle memories of controlling the basketball at top speed, were fully awakened at this moment.

"Too slow!"

Miyagi let out a low growl.

His body sank instantly, his center of gravity dropping to an unbelievably low level.

The basketball danced like a sprite between his fingertips, so fast that it even left afterimages.

"What?!"

Ito Taku felt a blur before his eyes.

Ryota Miyagi didn't make any fancy changes of direction; he simply accelerated.

That explosive power is like the launch of an F1 car at the moment of starting!

"Whoosh—!"

The wind howled.

Ryota Miyagi slipped right under Taku Ito's arm!

Simple, brutal, and incredibly fast!

Ito Taku wanted to turn around.

But he found that his ankles were nailed to the floor, and he couldn't keep up with the other person's pace at all.

Get it done in one go!

Clean and efficient!

"Waaaaaahh ...

The audience erupted in cheers.

"It...it passed?!"

"Wow, that was fast! What's going on with number 7?!"

"That dribbling speed just now was like lightning!"

Miyagi charged into the frontcourt, and Shohoku's defensive formation was instantly thrown into chaos.

Hanagata Toru and Nagano Mitsuru had no choice but to tighten their defenses and try to close the gate to intercept.

Just as the two mountains were about to merge.

Miyagi subtly flicked his wrist.

Without even looking at anyone, the basketball bounced off the ground as if it had eyes.

"Bang!"

The ball passed between the two players' legs and flew precisely into the open space under the basket.

There, a red-haired figure had been waiting for a long time.

"Haha! The ball's here!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi looked at the basketball flying into his hands in surprise.

Although somewhat surprised, Sakuragi's physical reaction was quick.

Catch the ball and jump.

This time, he didn't make any unnecessary movements.

"The little guy makes a layup!"

"Put it in gently..."

With a gentle flick of the wrist, the basketball obediently fell into the net.

11: 8.

"Great shot!!"

"That pass was brilliant!"

"It was a surgical intervention!"

Those in the audience who had been mocking Miyagi's height were now all gaping in astonishment.

"That short guy... how could he pass that ball like that among a group of tall people?"

"That's incredible!"

Xiangyang hadn't recovered from the ball they conceded earlier.

Serve from the baseline.

To play it safe, number 9 Ito Taku passed the ball to number 8 Takano, who was there to receive it.

Just as Takano received the ball, turned around, and prepared to dribble...

Another flash of lightning streaked across the sky.

"Snapped!"

The crisp sound of the ball being broken made everyone in Xiangyang skip a beat.

It's Miyagi Ryota again!

He was like an assassin lying in ambush in the grass, anticipating all of his opponent's intentions.

The moment the ball touched Takano's palm, he sliced ​​it away.

After Miyagi intercepted the ball, he did not rush to attack.

He held the ball with one hand, standing outside the three-point line, facing the panicked Xiangyang players.

He slowly extended a finger, pointing at the basketball hoop, a smug smile on his face:

"Come on! Score another goal!"