The moment Shouya caught the ball, Akagi led the upperclassmen in retreating back on defense.
"Kogure, stick to him!" Akagi barked, his eyes fixed on Rukawa. In his mind, the freshmen's offense would surely start with Rukawa. Stop him, and you control the first attack.
"Bring it on, senpai!" Kogure spread his arms, blocking Shouya's path. He was curious about this rookie, what kind of skill did he have to warrant such careful attention? Of course, he had no intention of underestimating him.
Shouya said nothing, only curling a faint smile. He dribbled slowly across half-court.
Just as he prepared to break through, the system's voice sounded in his head.
[Ding!]
[Mission: Make two three-point shots.]
[Reward: Quick Recovery]
"Quick Recovery?" Shouya muttered, eyeing the reward. Probably something to do with stamina. Doesn't matter now, if the system gives it, he might as well take it.
…
Meanwhile, Shouya stood still, motionless on the court.
"Tatsuhiko, watch the clock!" Kawata called out.
The ball had almost been in his possession for a whole 20 seconds, yet he hadn't passed or shot. Kawata worried, did he not know how to break through?
Ayako on the sidelines also stared, dumbfounded. During basic dribbling practice, he had been fine, what was he doing now?
Not just her—Akagi, guarding Rukawa, also looked baffled. Did this rookie really have no clue, like Sakuragi? It seemed like extra practice would be needed.
Rukawa frowned. He had no idea what Shouya was planning, but with time running out, he started urging him. "Pass the ball to me!"
"See? That rookie's hopeless. Only I, the genius, should be on the court," Sakuragi crowed, watching Shouya stay still, a smug expression on his face.
Coach Anzai sat silently, a slight frown on his face. What was this boy planning?
The gym fell into silence. Spectators muttered to one another.
"So he really is a beginner."
"Does he even understand the rules?"
"Two seconds left!!" Tanaka, acting as referee, clenched the whistle in his mouth, ready to blow.
"No time left!"
As the crowd shook their heads, Shouya finally gripped the ball, assuming a shooting stance.
"What's he doing?"
"From this far?"
"He just crossed half-court, seriously?"
Spectators watched in disbelief as he launched the ball in a perfect, absurdly high arc.
Beep! The whistle sounded.
Everyone held their breath, eyes locked on the spinning ball in midair. Tension gripped the gym instantly.
Would it go in?
Swish!
The ball sailed through the net.
The audience was dumbfounded.
"It… went in?"
"No way, that's insane!"
"He just threw it randomly and got lucky."
Spectators buzzed like ants on a hot pan, reacting to the impossible long-range shot.
"Did it just score?"
"Is this for real?"
Even Yasuda and others couldn't believe it. Akagi's eyes widened. How did that shot go in?
Ayako stared, shocked at the clean swish.
"Damn it… he actually made it!" Sakuragi ground his teeth, jealous of Shouya.
"Hohoho, not bad. I look forward to what else this freshman can do," murmured Anzai, watching the shot carefully, nodding swightly.
Kogure's mind churned. He looked at Shouya. "Is that skill… or just luck?"
"Hmm, senpai… what do you think?" Shouya replied with a grin. He had activated his full-range shooting skill—if it didn't go in, something would be wrong.
After the shot, he realized that although the skill had a 100% hit rate, it consumed a fair amount of stamina. At this rate, he might only be able to attempt three ultra-long-range shots before tiring. He would need to improve his physical condition quickly—otherwise, the best skills wouldn't last.
Seeing the upperclassmen, except Rukawa, frozen in place, he shouted, "Back on defense!!"
The others snapped to attention and quickly moved back to defend.
Rukawa looked at Shouya coolly. "Not bad."
With that, the first-years scored the opening three-pointer.
"Everyone, get your spirit up! Time to fight back and show them what we've got!" Akagi roared, reverberating through the gym.
Shouya's shot, intentional or not, had already sparked the competitive fire within him.
The ball was inbounded, dribbled, and approached the paint.
Bang!
Akagi slammed a ferocious dunk, reclaiming two points for the upperclassmen. The gym erupted once again.
Score: 2–3
"Akagi's serious now!!"