Everyone on the court wore a similar expression - disbelief. Ryou had blitzed through Hibiya's lacklustre defense, effortlessly scoring extra points for his team.
Even the referee seemed momentarily stunned, his whistle delayed.
Ryouta did not mind the referee's confusion, simply strolling back to his former position.
Imayoshi gradually snapped out of their stupor and resumed with the game, trotting back to retrieve the ball.
When the ball found its way to Imayoshi, he was puzzled. Every Meikō player was firmly in their defensive zone.
"What kind of formation is this? It's utterly bizarre..."
Typically, when a team scored, they'd press their opponents in their area, exerting pressure to disrupt their game and seize control.
Imayoshi couldn't fathom what Meikō was thinking.
Imayoshi dribbled the ball at a leisurely pace, being closely guarded by Kazama.
While passing to Hanamiya seemed like the obvious choice, after witnessing Ryouta's impeccable speed, the captain swiftly discarded that idea.
"You folks have an unusual one on your team, huh? He's really just a freshman?"
Imayoshi offered a polite smile to Kazama, who was marking him. However, Meikō's captain didn't seem in the mood to be speaking.
"...Could you stay quiet for once?"
"That's a shame..."
Imayoshi nonchalantly shrugged, his usual smile fading. He added, "But you might be underestimating us just a bit too much..."
Imayoshi made his move, attempting to breach Kazama's defense. Kazama however, showed no fear as he tried to thwart Imayoshi's advance.
Imayoshi was in for a surprise when he tried to break through the boy's defense. However Kazama found Imayoshi to be unexpectedly slippery.
"Who said I can't be nimble when needed..."
Imayoshi wasn't known for his dribbling skills, but he had confidence in his agility. He'd even take a risky three pointer now and then.
However, Imayoshi widened his eyes in shock as Hikki, who was quite far from them a second ago, was right before him. He couldn't comprehend what had just transpired as Ryouta swiftly snatched the ball from his grasp, leaving him helpless.
"Did he intentionally hold back his pace in the last few quarters?" Imayoshi wondered aloud, his words reaching Kazama as Meikō Junior High's captain shook his head in response.
"You've got it wrong," Kazama responded as he watched Ryouta swiftly break though Hibiya's defensive lines. He then turned his gaze back to Imayoshi. "Hikigaya's a training fanatic. He's probably conserving his stamina for some intense training after this match."
"But thanks to you guys," Kazama spoke, his gaze lingering on Ryouta as the freshman skillfully navigated through the lacklustre defense. "Hikigaya now has to put in a bit more effort into the game..."
Even though it went against his typical approach, Hikigaya had to restrain himself during this game. He was preserving his energy for some later training, knowing he was still a middle schooler and he needed to maximise his growth potential.
"That's why he's giging just enough to win and still have some left," Kazama explained.
Imayoshi couldn't believe what he had just heard as he muttered, "What an absolute monster..."
As Ryouta closed in on the basket, Hanamiya was already there.
"Don't think you'll score easily, freshman!" Hanamiya shouted, already positioning himself to defend against Hikki's next move.
Seeing this, Hikki remained unfazed.
Drawing closer, Ryouta dribbled left in front of Hanamiya. Hanamiya clenched his teeth in frustration, struggling to keep up with Hikigaya's speed.
As Hanamiya almost intercepted Ryouta's move, Ryouta swiftly pivoted, changing direction completely.
"...Damnit!"
Hanamiya couldn't help but curse aloud. His determination was unyielding as he strained his ankle to pivot and continue following Hikki. He was determined to stop this freshman at any cost.
Hkkki, however, just frowned, finding Hanamiya's persistence as relentless as a cockroach's as Hanamiya managed to stay right on his trail.
"Unfortunately for you, I've got plenty of room for a layup..."
Hikki glanced at Hanamiya, his steps transitioning into a layup.
Seeing the closeness of the moment, Hanamiya clenched his teeth even harder. He refused to be outplayed by a mere freshman. Moreover, he couldn't let a freshman show him up like this.
With Hikki's layup form almost completely, Hanamiya suddenly had an idea. He closed the distance between him and Hikki and his eyes darted towards the referee.
"Perfect timing! Looks like luck's on my side," Hanamiya sneered, a mischievous glint in his eye as he ruthlessly elbowed Hikki in the chest.
"You...!" The expletives erupted from the Meikō players, their anger boiling over as they witnessed the dirty play.
Ryou's eyes widened in disbelief, and he lost his grip on the ball as a result. Pain radiated from his chest and it took him a moment to grasp what had just occurred.
As the realisation dawned on him, a surge of anger welled up inside of the white haired boy. He turned to face Hanamiya, who had a self-satisfying smirk as if he had orchestrated the chain of events that would happen.
Though seething with rage, Hikki's expression remained eerily calm.. He extended his hand with lightning-quick reflexes, and the spectators watched with sheer disbelief as the scene unfolded in slow motion.
Thud!
The court resounded with a thunderous collision.
Hanamiya braced himself for the impact but was stunned when he felt no pain. He glanced at Hikki's outstretched hand in disbelief.
"Why...Did you stop me?"
A voice cut through the tension, and a figure emerged from behind Hanamiya. It seemed that this figure had struck Hanamiya, but his attack was halted by Hikki's outstretched hand.
"Why did I stop you? Are you even asking the right question, Kazama?"
Hikki's response was eerily calm, sending shivers down Hanamiya's spine.
However, he just shrugged it off as he turned to face Kazama.
Hanamiya realised that Hikki hadn't tried to punch him as he expected. Instead, Hikki had prevented his own teammate from delivering the blow.
They were quite a distance apart when he pulled his dirty trick. Hanamiya figured that Kazama, upon seeing what he had done, was furious enough to charge at him with a punch.
Hanamiya smirked at Kazama, who shot daggers at him with his eyes.
"Heh, why are you so mad, man. I was just having some fun..."
Kazama's anger seemed to intensify upon hearing this, and he reeled his punch and sidestepped, sending a hook right into Hanamiya's smirking face.
Hikki sighed as he hurried to stop Kazama from potentially getting Meikō disqualified.
Seeing the chaotic situation unfold, the refereee blew the whistle and stepped in to separate the two. He called for a technical timeout in an attempt to cool things down. Both teams returned to their benches, trying to understand what had just transpired.
–––
TBC
