As soon as Ryu got the ball, Akagi led Yasuda and the others back on defense.
"Kogure, keep an eye on him!" Akagi shouted, focusing intensely on Rukawa.
In Akagi's mind, the first-year team would rely on Rukawa to make the opening play. If he could stop Rukawa, it would mean stopping the whole first-year team.
"Bring it on, underclassman!" Kogure spread his arms wide, blocking Ryu's path. He was curious—just how skilled was this rookie, who he'd been warned about? But he wasn't letting his guard down.
Ryu didn't respond, just smirked and slowly dribbled the ball past the half-court line.
As he prepared to make his move, a voice echoed in his head:
[Ding!]
[Task: Make two three-point shots.]
[Reward: Quick Recovery.]
"Quick Recovery?" Ryu thought. "Is this about stamina? Well, whatever. A reward's a reward."
Meanwhile, the rest of the players were puzzled.
"Ryu, watch the time!" Kuwata called out anxiously. Thirty seconds had passed, and Ryu still hadn't made a move. Was he unsure how to break through?
From the sidelines, Ayako looked confused. Ryu had performed well in basic drills—why was he just standing there?
Even Akagi, who was defending Rukawa, was baffled. "Is he as clueless as Hanamichi?" he muttered.
"Ryu, pass it to me!" Rukawa urged, his tone sharp.
Hanamichi, watching from the sidelines, smirked. "See, Ayako? I knew that guy was just a beginner. They should've let me play instead of him!"
Coach Anzai sat quietly, his brow furrowed as he observed Ryu. "What is this boy planning?"
The whole gym grew silent as murmurs broke out among the spectators.
"Does he even know the rules?"
"This guy's just wasting time."
"Two seconds left!" shouted Tada, the referee, his whistle ready.
"It's over," someone sighed.
Just then, Ryu gripped the basketball with both hands and assumed a shooting stance.
"He's shooting? From here?"
"He's barely past half-court! No way!"
Ryu ignored the commotion. His teammates panicked.
"Don't do it, Ryu! Pass it to Rukawa!" Kuwata shouted, his voice trembling.
Rukawa frowned. "This guy..."
Kogure lowered his hands, not even bothering to guard. "He's desperate."
In the next moment, Ryu leapt into the air and launched the ball. It soared high, tracing a perfect arc.
"Beep!"
The whistle blew just as the ball spun through the air, all eyes following it.
Would it go in?
"Swish!"
The ball sank cleanly into the net.
Silence.
The entire gym froze.
"It went in?"
"No way!"
"That was pure luck!"
The crowd buzzed like a hive of bees, disbelief spreading everywhere.
"Unbelievable," muttered Ayako, her eyes wide in shock.
"That showoff!" Hanamichi grumbled, jealousy etched across his face.
Even Coach Anzai nodded slightly, intrigued. "Not bad... Let's see what else this freshman can do."
On the court, Kogure stared at Ryu in disbelief. "Was that skill or luck?"
Ryu grinned. "What do you think, Kogure-san?"
The truth was, Ryu had activated his full-range shooting skill. Missing wasn't an option—but the move had drained more of his stamina than expected.
"If I don't improve my endurance, I won't last long in real games," he thought.
"Get back on defense!" Ryu shouted, snapping his teammates out of their daze.
As they hurried back, Rukawa passed him with a brief nod. "Nice job."
The score: 3-0, first-years leading.
"Alright, let's get serious and show them what we can do!" Akagi roared, his voice booming through the gym.
When the seniors got the ball, Akagi didn't hold back.
"Boom!"
A powerful dunk from Akagi brought the score to 2-3, and the gym erupted with cheers.
"Akagi-san is fired up!" someone shouted.
The game had only just begun.