Chapter 35: Unblockable Air Domination

Outside the basketball court, a sea of people had gathered. Students from both the high school's had come to spectate the match. But the most interesting thing was the fact that the audience mostly comprised of girls!

Rei easily spotted Iori and Motoharu. They couldn't resist being where girls gathered, even if they weren't interested in basketball.

"Senior, you're here to join the fun," Hana appeared behind Rei, munching on fried noodle bread from the cafeteria. Seeing that Rei didn't have anything in hand, she tore a small piece from the bread and handed it over.

Rei accepted the dry bread from Hana without hesitation and promptly consumed it.

"Yes, that must be it, after all, senior's basketball skills are impressive." Hana didn't wait for Rei to respond, continuing with a self-assured tone, "Last time, you made that Kagami fellow cry. Hahaha, just thinking about it makes me laugh."

Rei thought, 'I know it was you who blabbed with such a big mouth. Now, even Hiratsuka-sensei has heard about it.'

"Senior, will you go over and play?" Hana asked, "The opponent is Kaijo High School. There's a guy with yellow hair, a member of the so-called 'Generation of Miracles', and he is supposed to be very formidable. Senior, do you think you can handle him? Last time, it seemed like he came to our school just to bully us."

Kagami and others: "..."

'While we got schooled, we really did give it our all...'

"Senior Rei, good afternoon," came Junpei's voice from the side. Beside him was Shinji Koganei, also a member of the starting lineup for their Basketball Team. Both greeted Rei with great respect.

In their eyes, if Rei played basketball, the national competition would end in a snap.

Rei nodded in acknowledgment. Hana, on the other hand, scrutinized the two tall basketball team members, reaching up to compare their heights. Her hand only reached up to Junpei's stomach. "I didn't realize before, have you guys grown taller?"

"Senior, are you going to play basketball this time?" Shinji asked in an airy tone.

Junpei's ears immediately perked up. If Rei played, then the 'Unblockable Air Domination' he made last time against Kagami could be pulled off again. Even in the Generation of Miracles era, against this move of pure physical dominance, they would be helpless.

The entire basketball team had pondered for days but couldn't come up with a way to counter it. In the end, they focused on training, working on building up their physical prowess.

"I'll only join if it interests me. Otherwise, I won't step onto the court," Rei casually replied.

The four of them entered the arena through the small door of the stadium's dressing room. They didn't have to squeeze through the crowd like Iori and Motoharu, but it seemed like those two were rather pleased to be in the crowd.

Warm-ups were in full swing in the arena. The Soubu High players, donning red and white home team uniforms, took up the left half, while the Kaijo High School team, clad in blue jerseys, claimed the right.

Before this, Kagami hadn't faced off against Ryota, but when Ryota came last time in casual clothes, it was solely to catch up with Kuroko. Kagami lost that time, but it wasn't a complete beatdown. His defense also posed a considerable challenge for the opponent.

Such a loss was nothing compared to a head-on match against Rei!

Kagami, confident and unafraid of failure, understood that basketball wasn't an individual sport but a team endeavor. Regardless of how impressive one's personal skills were, if teammates couldn't follow through, victory remained out of reach. Kagami was brimming with determination. His eyes seemed ablaze as he fixed his gaze on Ryota on the opposite end.

"Hello, senior."

While Rei was looking around, a gentle voice from a boy reached their ears.

Looking down, Rei spotted Kuroko standing before them. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

"Wow! It's the blue-haired classmate again! The one that gives off a ghostly vibe!" Hana waved her yakisoba bread towards the sky.

"Senior Uzaki, my name is Tetsuya Kuroko, not Blue Hair." Kuroko didn't react much, having grown accustomed to Hana's antics.

"Hello, hello." Rei replied. When they entered the basketball hall, every basketball player from Soubu Gao would halt their training and come over to greet Rei. It left Rei with the feeling of a leader being fawned over by their subordinates.

Riko blew the whistle hanging from her neck, and the team members promptly assembled.

"Kaijo High is situated in Kanagawa Prefecture and is a prestigious nationwide school."

"Their basketball team is a regular at InterHigh every year and is often favored to win major competitions. They invest heavily in sports, boasting a well-rounded team with a balanced offense and defense. Known as the 'youth elites,' their reputation is further solidified by the addition of their forward 'Ryota' from the 'Generation of Miracles.'"

"Arguably, this is the most formidable opponent we've faced so far!"

"Kuroko, in the Generation Of Miracles, you were known as the 'Phantom Sixth Player' So, it's up to you to introduce 's characteristics."

Riko spoke, her eyes sweeping over everyone present. She asked, "Is Kuroko here?"

"Coach, I'm here," said a little voice besides Riko, and everyone turned their attention to it.

Soubu High basketball team: "(?' ω?)!!"

Riko: "(?' ω?)!!"

Rei could sense their hearts stopping for a second. Thankfully, several of them had been together for a long time, and they were completely immune to sunspots.

"That... Then please tell us about it," Riko said, yielding the floor to Kuroko.

"Ahem." Tetsuya cleared his throat before speaking, "Kise-san's strength ranks him as the weakest among the 'Generation of Miracles.' However, his talent is top-notch. With a vacation as long as this one, he had ample time to undergo a thorough transformation with this group of talented individuals. So, I don't know how strong he is now."

"But in terms of characteristics, this guy's talent is copying. He only needs to observe your basketball skills, and he can flawlessly replicate them. Except for the moves of a few 'Generation of Miracles' members, I've never seen a skill he couldn't mimic."

Hearing Kuroko's words, everyone present fell into a brief silence. Given that Ryota, with his own formidable abilities, now possessed the Copying Skill, how would they even begin to compete?

Shinji thought for a moment and asked, "What about Rei's 'Unblockable Air Domination'?"

"It's just a jump solely relying on physical prowess. No one can block it at all."

"Yes, Rei's strength is undoubtedly on par with the 'Generation of Miracles,' if not stronger. Even in the NBA, I believe there would only be a very select few who could stand up to it."

"This type of move, relying solely on physical talent, Ryota shouldn't be able to mimic."

Rei's mouth twitched at the mention of the 'Unblockable Air Domination.' They supposed it was closer to a jump. They had nonchalantly tossed in a bit of talent, and now even the move had been given a name. A beating was in place.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR, MY DEAR DUCKS!