LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 83: The Battle Begins
"Look at them, so arrogant! They're being so lazy during their warm-ups" Kise grumbled as he observed the American players.
"Just give them a taste of reality in a bit" Aomine replied nonchalantly, though the excitement in his tone was unmistakable.
He could feel the raw power emanating from the American players—a palpable sense of pressure that only fueled his fighting spirit. For Aomine, opponents like these were the ones he truly craved.
Midorima, however, felt an increasing sense of unease. Fixing his gaze on their opponents, he knew this would be an uphill battle. He silently removed the bandage from his left hand and began practicing his shots.
Swish, swish, swish!
One long-range three-pointer after another sank cleanly through the net, the sharp sound drawing the attention of the American players.
"Not bad" said Davis, smirking as he glanced at Midorima's flawless shooting.
"Yeah, but his release is a bit slow" Russell mused after a moment. His own quick-release shooting style, known for its speed and accuracy, gave him confidence in his evaluation.
At that moment, Aomine grabbed a basketball, performed a dazzling 360° spin move, and soared upward to deliver a thunderous dunk. After landing, he cast a provocative glance at the opposing team, as if to declare war.
"Whoa, not bad at all" Davis admitted, slightly surprised. "Didn't expect someone under 190cm to pull off something like that. Guess this game won't be so boring after all."
"Zach, Andrew, you seeing this? They're acting pretty cocky. Think we should respond in kind?" Schröder teased, eliciting hearty laughter from his teammates.
With a shrug, LaVine picked up a ball, dashed toward midcourt, and did something extraordinary — he jumped from the free-throw line.
Suspended in midair like a soaring bird, he gracefully arced toward the basket before slamming the ball into the hoop with force.
The Teiko players were left speechless, their jaws dropping in disbelief.
This guy's an alien, right? Dunking effortlessly from the free-throw line and making it look so easy—it was terrifying.
Meanwhile, Wiggins remained motionless, sitting quietly and paying no attention to his surroundings. Clearly, this player wasn't overly motivated.
"Impressive. Just as I expected from the players I handpicked" Shiro said with a smirk. He had invested significant time and effort in assembling this group, believing they would humble the Generation of Miracles.
The warm-ups ended without further incident. Having recognized Teiko's skill, the American players also began warming up seriously. They weren't about to let victory slip away.
"Beep!"
The referee's whistle signaled the end of the warm-ups and the start of the game. Both teams returned to their benches to finalize preparations.
"Starting lineup: Akashi, Midorima, Shiro, Aomine, Murasakibara. Kuroko and Kise will be our subs. Any objections?" Sanada asked the group.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Let's go, then" Sanada clapped, rallying the team.
The Teiko players stood up and strode toward the court.
On the other side, Davis stood up and gave his signature eyebrow wiggle, his expression turning serious. "Alright, listen up, everyone. Stay focused. There's half a million dollars on the line for each of us. If anyone slacks off and costs us this game, I won't let them hear the end of it!"
The words sent a jolt through his teammates, who quickly adopted determined expressions. They understood the stakes —this was a rare opportunity, and they couldn't afford to squander it.
"Let's go, boys. Time to take the court" he called, leading his team to their positions.
The two teams lined up, ready for the showdown.
Matchups:
Center: Murasakibara vs Davis
Power Forward: Aomine vs Wiggins
Small Forward: Shiro vs LaVine
Shooting Guard: Midorima vs Russell
Point Guard: Akashi vs Schröder
The air was electric with tension as the game was about to commence.
At center court, Murasakibara and Davis prepared for the jump ball.
The referee tossed the basketball high into the air, and both players leaped simultaneously.
Their verticals were equally impressive, and with only a slight height difference — Davis at 205cm (6' 9") and Murasakibara at 201cm (6'7") — they battled fiercely for control.
Davis was astonished. "This guy's shorter than me, but he can keep up in a jump ball?" He realized that these middle schoolers were extraordinary, not to be underestimated.
However, the thought lingered — defeating middle schoolers wasn't exactly something to brag about, while losing to them would be humiliating. Still, with such a significant prize on the line, there was every reason to win.
Determined, Davis focused and managed to tip the ball to Schröder, leveraging his superior strength and experience.
"Ugh" Murasakibara grunted in frustration at losing the tip. "Next time, I'll crush you"
Schröder dribbled the ball past halfcourt, meeting Akashi's intense gaze. With a smirk, Schröder decided to go one-on-one against him. At 184cm (6'0") Schroder had a clear height advantage over the 170cm (5'7") Akashi.
At this point, Akashi hadn't yet fully integrated his dual personalities, meaning his Emperor Eye wasn't functioning at its peak. He had to rely on his defensive instincts to guard Schröder.