Chapter 208

He didn't stay happy for long.

Just after Tiandao crossed half-court with the ball, under everyone’s incredibly surprised gaze, he threw a transition three-pointer from half-court.

"Swish!"

The ball went in again, the gap widened further, and it was about to return to 20 points.

"This bastard!" Araki Masako was furious and immediately made adjustments.

Tiandao playing like this clearly meant he was forcing them to have Murasakibara guard him full-court.

Because the other players weren't at the right level.

Murasakibara did exactly that, following Tiandao left and right for the rest of the game, not giving him a chance to throw up threes.

"But this way, Murasakibara’s consumption will increase again." Aida Riko could already see that "wear and tear" marks were appearing on Murasakibara’s feet.

If he continued to sprint full-court following Tiandao like this, getting cramps would be the best-case scenario.

"But Yosen has no other choice, unless..."

"A double-team!"

Before Kiyoshi Teppei could finish his sentence, Araki Masako waved her hand, making a final gamble.

She sent the team’s twin stars to double-team Tiandao together, determined to stop this leader of the Generation of Miracles from running wild.

The effect was significant; Tiandao’s shooting opportunities were almost completely locked down.

But he didn't retreat; instead, he became even more excited.

"Two people still can't beat me!"

Tiandao refused his teammates who came out to help, facing Murasakibara and Himuro Tatsuya alone, playing one-on-two.

They hadn't practiced this specifically, because Araki Masako had never thought that one day they would have to have the team’s center and shooting guard join forces to double-team one player.

Tiandao was the first to receive this treatment, and I’m afraid there won't be a second.

One Generation of Miracles, one quasi-Generation of Miracles.

The two of them joining forces to double-team one person—such treatment is something only Tiandao deserves.

But what was jaw-dropping was that even so, Yosen was unable to stop Tiandao.

He faced the two of them while holding the ball, the monster behind him sticking close as if to fight side-by-side with him.

"Eight!"

With a whisper, the basketball instantly went wild, ready to break through from either side of the two at any moment.

Tatsuya Himuro and Murasakibara acted simultaneously, constantly changing their positions to intercept.

Under the gaze of everyone, the three of them became entangled just like that, staging a high-level battle of offense and defense.

"Pervert!"

This was the inner voice of many people.

Tiandao was not at a disadvantage one-on-two, his eyes shining brightly, like the stars seen when looking up at the night sky.

Using both hands and feet, facing Murasakibara and Tatsuya Himuro simultaneously, he did not retreat half a step.

Finally, he found an opportunity and suddenly attacked between the two.

Murasakibara and Tatsuya Himuro reacted immediately, closing in instantly like an elevator door.

But they saw Tiandao's eyes suddenly widen.

"Pop!"

The basketball hit the ground and rebounded quickly. Tiandao's figure flashed, instantly killing his way to Tatsuya Himuro's side and rushing past with long strides.

"He got past!"

"Two people can't stop him?"

Alexandra widened her eyes.

There aren't many high school students this strong even in the United States.

Yet such a good seedling blossomed in such a basketball desert.

"Boom!"

As they spoke, Tiandao had already entered the Yosen restricted area and dunked.

More and more people felt that there was no need to wait for the final results; Tiandao was now the strongest high school student in the country.

One Generation of Miracles and one quasi-Generation of Miracles couldn't stop his footsteps; could a second person like this ever appear?

Turning back, Yosen's twin stars also began to exert force.

They were in perfect sync, passing to each other, echoing inside and outside the line, playing out the ideal state of Yosen in Masako Araki's mind.

The game began to get exciting, with both sides going back and forth, very lively.

But as time passed, people discovered that while Yosen didn't seem to be at a disadvantage on the surface, the score gap never closed.

At this moment, there were only 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and Yosen's deficit still hovered around 18 points.

Even more fatal was that Murasakibara ultimately couldn't hold on, suddenly collapsing during a non-contact run.

He had a cramp, the pain making him clench his teeth, cold sweat streaming down.

Without waiting for the Yosen people to react, Tiandao had already walked over first, had Murasakibara lie down, and helped him straighten his cramped leg.

"It's over, Atsushi." Tiandao looked at Murasakibara calmly. He said, "Well played, keep it up in the future."

There were no sentimental words, but they struck Murasakibara's heart, making his eyes sore.

Murasakibara quickly covered his eyes with his hand so no one would see his reddened eyes.

For the first time ever, he played so seriously, only to face such a painful defeat.

He felt some regret; if he had worked this hard from the beginning, would the result have been different?

The Yosen people also walked over at this time, looking at the two old Teiko teammates, and without a word, revealed smiles of relief.

They lost the game, but it wasn't without gains.

Shedding tears for failure is not shameful at all.

It proves he gave his all for the game!

They believed that after experiencing this failure, Murasakibara would definitely become more mature and stronger.

They, Yosen, would return again!

Masako Araki immediately made a substitution.

Kenichi Okamura and Liu Wei helped Murasakibara off the court, one on each side.

"Rest well, Murasakibara."

"We will return for the Winter Cup."

Masako Araki squatted in front of Murasakibara like an old mother, even thoughtfully covering his head with a towel.

At this very moment, Murasakibara could no longer control himself, tears streaming down like rain, his shoulders shaking continuously, crying like a 200-pound child.

"Xiao Zi." Satsuki looked at Murasakibara with a smile, silently checking a box in her heart, "Got another one!"

She didn't care about winning or losing, only that those silly boys became better.

On the court.

Yosen had finished their substitution, and Kenichi Okamura and the others stared fiercely at Tiandao.

"We will settle the score for our ace with you!"

Yosen's twin towers were extremely fierce; those who didn't know would think they were the ones in the lead.

Tiandao glanced at them briefly and walked toward the bench, "All losers, what are you posturing for."

Damn!

The Yosen people were furious, yet they had no way to deal with him.

At Kozo Shirogane's house, the old man watched the dust settle and sipped his tea leisurely.

His wife immediately refilled it for him, unable to help but ask, "Back then, why did you insist on letting that child be the team captain?"

She was naturally referring to Tiandao.

"Because Tiandao is a true player." Kozo Shirogane took another sip and said, "Kuroko is not wrong; basketball should be played happily, and one should taste the joy of victory and the bitterness of loss with teammates regardless of the outcome."

"But those children are different. They are not ordinary players; they are geniuses. The professional arena is the stage they will strive for in the future; amateur games are not enough to support their extraordinary talent."

Even, becoming members of the national team to fight for the country!

To have such outstanding talent and yet insist on playing 'happy basketball' is a waste of their abilities.

"I firmly believe Tiandao will win in the end, and I also firmly believe that through head-on confrontation, Tiandao will make those children understand what a true player is."