Teiko vs. Senzan.
Late in the first quarter, the current score stood at,
36 : 30.
Even with Teiko maintaining a six–point lead, there was no doubt: in the showdown of three–pointers engineered by Akihito Shigure, Mibuchi Reo had come out on top against Midorima Shintarō.
That six–point cushion existed only because of Teiko's overall superiority outside the three–point contest.
From Shigure's perspective,
At this moment, the gap between Mibuchi Reo and Midorima Shintarō in terms of three–point shooting wasn't only due to Mibuchi's surprisingly complete mastery of three unique three–point styles. It also came down to a difference in physical conditioning.
To pull off his "Earth Shot", absorbing contact in mid–air, drawing a foul, and still sinking the three, Mibuchi's physique had been honed far beyond what it should have been at this point in the original timeline, much like Nebuya Eikichi's development.
And compared to the high school versions of these players in the canon timeline, the growth gap between middle school first–years and second–years was even starker. One year in middle school could be the deciding factor between blooming or never blooming at all.
Thus, Midorima's relative lack of strength was more glaring here, especially in the three–point battle. Against Mibuchi's sly, versatile arsenal, Midorima's rigid "straight shooting" was at a clear disadvantage.
As a result, Midorima's shooting percentage began to dip under Mibuchi's defense, forcing him into more drives and kick–outs. Ironically, those very passes kept him from losing outright even sooner.
For Shigure, this was the most surprising part of the duel, aside from Mibuchi's nearly perfected three styles.
On defense, the physical gap showed even more clearly.
"Little Midorima~," Mibuchi chimed in with a sing–song tone, "just as I thought~ you're still not quite there yet~."
He suddenly gathered the ball. Midorima, who had already braced his stance and readied himself, realized too late that his opponent's speed had kicked up another gear.
Midorima leapt, misjudging the timing. Mibuchi froze in mid–motion, baiting him. As Midorima descended, Mibuchi rose again, their jumps staggered out of sync.
Thump!
They collided in mid–air.
"You've lost, little Midorima~," Mibuchi sang, even as the referee's whistle blew.
Tweet!
At the same time,
Smack!
Despite his shooting form twisting under contact, Mibuchi's core strength held firm enough to release the ball. But the expected 3+1 play never happened, his shot was swatted away at the rim by a timely rotation.
Mibuchi turned sharply, startled.
Not Shigure.
No, Number 7, Fukaya Reiji.
…
Senzan's sideline inbound.
After his block, Fukaya picked up Mibuchi's assignment. Compared to Midorima, his defensive presence felt far heavier. Mibuchi grew visibly tenser as he darted around the arc. Senzan's players hurried to set screens, but Fukaya exploded through them with raw power.
"Teiko's not matching Midorima on him anymore?"
"Amazing!"
"What a tough defense, he just bulldozed through the screen with his body!"
"His acceleration was lightning fast!"
"Woah!"
"What's going on out there?"
"Such an intense exchange!"
Mibuchi stopped, momentarily checked by Fukaya's relentless pursuit. Staring at the boy with tied–back hair, he smirked:
"Ah~ so when you pin back your bangs, that's what you look like~ not nearly as gloomy as I imagined."
In fact, he looked formidable.
"This is supposed to be a shooting guard showdown, and yet you, a small forward, are barging in~ careful, or I'll blast you with threes~."
With one hand on his hip, Fukaya brushed his fringe and replied coolly:
"You won't score again."
"Heh~" Mibuchi chuckled. "Nice words~."
But he knew they weren't just empty words. From that last block alone, Mibuchi realized: if Fukaya hadn't anticipated his "Earth Shot," there was no way that rejection would've been timed so perfectly.
Mibuchi's eyes narrowed. "...!"
Even Senzan's point guard gaped.
What kind of defense was that? His stance was so low, what exactly was he watching?
From the bench, teammate Kurokami Shinji shouted: "Go, Reiji!"
In the stands, Rakuzan's Hagioka Kasayuki observed carefully, crouching as if mimicking Fukaya's low vantage point to track Mibuchi's moves.
"Mm… slight backward lean in his stance," he muttered. "That's the Heaven Shot, but Teiko's #7 read it."
The Rakuzan captain frowned. "A feint, then? Meaning the next will be Earth, or maybe Void?"
On the court,
Mibuchi executed the "Earth Shot."
As he pumped, everyone assumed Fukaya would bite and commit the foul. Instead, Fukaya held his ground, refusing to jump.
"Incredible, he read it perfectly!"
"Maybe he's just being conservative, scared of fouling?" the Rakuzan captain suggested.
Hagioka shook his head.
"No. You can tell from his eyes. That's successful anticipation defense."
"For Heaven and Earth shots, the difference is in weight distribution. Void, on the other hand, depends on the depth of the crouch. Unless you've got vision like Nijimura Shuzo, the most efficient way to defend both is by focusing on, "
"The knees."
"From that angle, you can directly gauge crouch depth, while sacrificing some sensitivity to shifts in balance. But for Fukaya, his specialty, 'instantaneous post–catch adjustment', lets him pre–process balance changes. That may make him unusually sensitive to shifts in center of gravity."
"That's why, even just reading the knees, he can defend both Heaven and Earth."
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