Chapter 134

Yukimiya Kazuma easily dunked the ball in.

More than one person on the sidelines was watching Yukimiya Kazuma; even the coach of Bai Shui Hall's current opponents was utterly shocked.

Before facing Bai Shui Hall, he had already seen the news reports about Yukimiya Kazuma.

At the time, he had only thought: just some dark horse from the Tokyo district, hyped up so ridiculously, and not even a third-year — if he were really that good, he would have made a name for himself long ago.

However…

Now that they had actually faced off, he finally realized.

That "Pass Basketball" magazine — sometimes it really is hard to tell truth from fiction, but the true parts are really true!

……

On the court, under Yukimiya Kazuma's defense, the opponents' momentum was instantly frozen.

Yukimiya Kazuma used his body to pressure the opposing power forward; Bai Shui Hall's interior pressure was overwhelming. Seeing this, the opposing shooting guard whipped the ball out to the point guard on the perimeter.

The point guard had just gotten into position to receive the ball, but he never expected Kasuga Yuji to suddenly dart out.

Snap!

The ball hadn't even reached his hands before Kasuga Yuji stripped it away.

The opposing point guard had been careless; he hadn't expected Kasuga Yuji to be that quick.

The basketball flew toward the sideline, and Kasuga Yuji chased it down to save the possession.

"Wow! Bai Shui Hall's point guard is really hustling?"

"No, I'm a bit confused…"

"Is Yukimiya Kazuma the point guard for Bai Shui Hall, or is Kasuga Yuji the point guard?"

"Uh…"

In the gym, the spectators in the stands were chatting excitedly. They were very satisfied with Bai Shui Hall's performance — fame never rests on an empty vessel; as expected of a team that could put up over 30 points against Teikou.

Just look at what happened to Tairamine Middle School earlier — Teikou held them to 2 points. Convert that, and Bai Shui Hall is worth at least '15 Tairamines.'

And considering Bai Shui Hall only let Teikou score around 100 points, while Tairamine Middle School was buried under 198 — nearly double that, times double, directly equals '30 Tairamines.'

Through passing, the basketball still ended up in Yukimiya Kazuma's hands.

On this play, the opposing team had already settled into position. Yukimiya Kazuma continued to call for a pick-and-roll — he had no obsession with some manly one-on-one duel; if he could score easily, why not?

After Takefuji Masaki set the screen, he rolled straight down. Yukimiya Kazuma surveyed the situation on the court.

At this moment, Yukimiya executed an inviting pump fake; this feint successfully tore apart the opposing defense.

Everyone on the other team was drawn in by Yukimiya Kazuma's gaze, focusing all their attention on Kasuga Yuji.

But Yukimiya Kazuma used a deceptive passing fake, fooling every single defender inside.

Boom—!

A thunderous crash!

Yukimiya Kazuma with a one-handed slam dunk!

The style of that dunk made everyone present think of Aomine Daiki from the earlier Teikou game!

The gymnasium was ignited; the crowd let out a Teikou-level tidal roar of cheers.

"Timeout!"

The opposing coach couldn't sit still anymore and immediately called a timeout.

The arena was in an uproar; fans shouted Yukimiya Kazuma's name toward the court.

"Amazing!"

"His passing is pure art!"

"Exactly — the threat of his passing lets him fake out everyone with a single move!"

"I heard…"

"Yukimiya Kazuma's strongest suit is defense. In the Tokyo district prelims, he shut Aomine Daiki out completely in the last two quarters — zero points!"

"Huh?! Are you kidding? That can't be real, right?"

"No, that's what the weekly reported. Although I also feel like it's fake."

The opposing coach was roaring on the bench, demanding his team ramp up the intensity on Yukimiya Kazuma — they couldn't keep getting steamrolled by one player.

In Zen-Chu's very first game, there was already a feeling of things slipping beyond his control; he hoped to find a way to solve the problem.

"Don't give him any easy chances to shoot or pass! Pressure him physically, give him contact — this kid isn't Superman!"

On Bai Shui Hall's side, Shimmatsu Osamu was very pleased with the players' performance. Apart from Yukimiya Kazuma, the others were the same — he couldn't sense any pressure of the national tournament from any of them; everyone was playing very relaxed.

That's also…

After all, anyone who trains daily against a national-level high school team like Seiho, and runs laps after losing, probably wouldn't feel much pressure coming in.

The timeout ended, and the game resumed.

Bai Shui Hall's opponents took the initiative to change things up; the point guard began slowing the pace.

The interior was their relative strength; they now deliberately started feeding the center.

The point guard and shooting guard's solo drives noticeably decreased; most of the opposing offense now went through the center's hands, the formation spread out, using the center to overpower Takefuji Masaki in the post.

And they actually drew a foul on that play, sending him to the free-throw line, where he calmly sank the free throws.

Bai Shui Hall's offense.

Yukimiya Kazuma had just crossed half-court when he was picked up by tight man-to-man pressure from the opposing small forward.

This guy played a bit dirty — in the contact, he kept deliberately grazing Yukimiya Kazuma's leg with his knee.

Yukimiya Kazuma was being bothered badly. He passed the ball to Kasuga Yuji, then set a screen with Liang Huayin, who had drifted to one side.

After shaking off the opposing small forward, Yukimiya Kazuma immediately received Kasuga Yuji's pass, worked his way through a rhythm dribble-drive to the free-throw line area, and tossed the ball up.

"A floater? No — an alley-oop!"

Takefuji Masaki leaped high; without the opposing center's interference and with his body honed by devilish training, he finally could display his abilities in the air.

Boom!

As for height, he certainly didn't jump as high as Yukimiya Kazuma, but this pass's height was just right; Takefuji Masaki caught the ball comfortably and slammed the rim with both arms.

The scene was ignited once again.

"Wow! So beautiful!"

"It feels like Bai Shui is playing so easily."

"A brilliant performance, a beautiful aerial connection!"

"So strong, Bai Shui!"

The opponent's turn.

The center and point guard executed a pick-and-roll at the top of the key; the point guard drove into the paint, spun past the defender, and fooled Takefuji Masaki's defense.

Just as the point guard intended to jump and finish, Yukimiya Kazuma surged out from the side again; his long arms blocked out the sky, and he spun the small point guard who had spun in right back out!

Having completed the block, Yukimiya Kazuma pumped his arm and roared, skillfully unleashing the 'Rookie Ace's War Cry' to buff the entire team; Bai Shui's morale surged greatly.

The reporters on the sidelines captured this moment precisely.

It was still pass basketball; they seemed particularly keen on recording Yukimiya Kazuma's exaggerated war cries on the court.

One reporter even spoke while filming: "So hot-blooded; every time I see Yukimiya Kazuma pump his arm and roar, I feel my blood boiling too. This is thanks in large part to He Xiuyang from Sakuga Middle School."

Bai Shui boiled over.

The audience boiled over.

But Bai Shui's opponents were now getting goosebumps; they had just been yelled at by their coach before coming onto the court, and now, they were being yelled at by Yukimiya Kazuma again.

A hundred thousand feelings of discomfort welled up in their hearts, unsure whether to speak or not.

The next possession.

While Yukimiya Kazuma was executing a hand-off with Haru no Yuji, the opposing small forward directly knocked Haru no Yuji flying.

"You damn..."

Yukimiya Kazuma was just about to go up and demand an explanation, but he found the opponent already playing innocent in front of the referee.

The live audience had sharp eyes; immediately, boos erupted, expressing dissatisfaction with his dirty move just now.

Some audience members knew that this basketball team from Higashihata Middle School in Miyagi Prefecture; they had heard that their number 6 small forward always played the villain role in the team.

The referee called a foul on Higashihata Middle School; although Haru no Yuji was angry, he could not explode further.

The 'intensity' of the physical contact Higashihata Middle School gave was very high; Bai Shui, naturally, was no pushover either.

For a time, the foul count skyrocketed, and the game was cut up into some fragmented pieces.

Players from both sides began frequently walking to the free-throw line.