Chapter 46: Vertical Leap!

Teppei and Kira jumped together, to be honest, Teppei didn't think that Kira would pose any threat to him in the jump ball.

After all, there was a significant height difference between them. Although Teppei wasn't the type of center who dominated opponents with his physicality, his jumping ability was still formidable. It should have been an easy task to outperform Kira in the jump ball.

But in the split second before they were about to touch the basketball in mid-air, another hand made contact with the ball first.

It was Kira.

"What?!"

At this moment, Teppei's eyes widened, filled with astonishment.

Kira , who was originally more than ten centimeters shorter than him, was now above Teppei. Teppei had to raise his head and look up at Kira, whose shoulder was near his own head.

There was a significant difference in height and wingspan between Kira and Teppei, but Kira compensated for it with his terrifying jumping ability.

In the moment of takeoff, Kira tried to use the Thunderclap Flash to increase the explosive power in his legs and enhance his jumping ability.

As he had expected, it indeed worked.

Everyone present was shocked by the difference in jumping ability between Kira and Teppei. The disparity in the position of their feet in mid-air clearly demonstrated this.

"Hey, is this a joke...? Kira is just a little over 1.8 meters... Did he win the jump ball against Teppei?"

"Could it be that Teppei intentionally went easy on him?"

"Teppei normally jumps to about this height anyway. Even without comparing him to Teppei, Kira's jumping height is too exaggerated! His physical abilities are completely at a monster level."

Everyone was left dumbfounded, and even Riko felt the same way.

"Could Kira's jumping ability really be this terrifying?"

Previously, when Riko assessed Kira's physique, she believed that his jumping ability was just average. However, now Kira was displaying a terrifying explosive power.

"Did I misjudge him? Or did Kira achieve this level through exaggerated training in the Blue Lock? It shouldn't be possible in such a short time..."

Riko was somewhat puzzled.

At this moment, Kira had already touched the ball in mid-air and immediately passed it to his teammate.

"Impressive, Kira!"

His teammates praised him loudly. Although they couldn't see any specific technique at the moment, Kira's displayed physical abilities had reached a terrifying level.

"Did you go easy on us?"

Hyuga Junpei, from the team led by Teppei, asked.

"No... And as you just witnessed, Kira's jumping ability is exaggerated. We didn't notice it before..."

Teppei replied seriously as he defended, expressing his admiration for Kira.

"To have such a reputation, it's not without reason."

The players from the substitute team initiated their attack. Although Kira hadn't played much basketball, he analyzed the situation based on his knowledge from watching anime in the past.

"I should be a small forward now. Although it's a different sport, the principles of competitive sports can be applied universally."

Kira pondered.

Positioning, receiving the ball, and seeking opportunities—these were the core elements of offense.

"Kira!"

At that moment, Kira's teammate with the ball saw him open and passed it to him.

Kira caught the ball, and at the same time, a figure appeared in front of him.

Hyuga Junpei.

He was the captain of Seirin Basketball Club, a talented three-point shooter. He approached everything with utmost seriousness, even in everyday practice matches.

"Sorry, Kira-kun. Although this is part of the training, I still have to give it my all," Hyuga Junpei said to Kira.

"Yeah."

Kira nodded, but at this moment, he hesitated. Holding the ball in his hands, he didn't know what to do.

His understanding of basketball was limited to anime; he had never actually played the sport.

The reason Kira possessed outstanding football skills was that his original self was an excellent football player. He inherited the techniques and memories of his original self—but basketball was an entirely different story.

In the end, Kira hadn't even tried dribbling before.

However, at this moment, he felt an impulse to give it a try. Moreover, for some reason, a series of movements seemed to be mapped out in his mind. Following his instincts, he acted accordingly.

First, he shifted his body to the right, tilting his shoulder at an angle, probing Hyuga Junpei's center of gravity. However, the latter was a strong defender and was not influenced by Kira's actions.

At this moment, Kira instantly initiated his move, dribbling towards the side of Hyuga Junpei. Hyuga Junpei immediately retreated, maintaining his defensive position.

"So fast! And looking at his dribbling technique and rhythm, it doesn't seem like he has never played before." Hyuga Junpei thought to himself. He didn't let his defense slack at all, as the opponent's first step was faster than he had expected.

But just as Kira started his first step, he quickly pulled his dribbling hand back, shifting his center of gravity from the right to the left.

Crossover.

It was one of the most basic dribbling moves, using the rhythm of the dribble and the shift in center of gravity to deceive the defender.

"The rhythm is excellent!" Shun Izuki, Seirin's starting point guard, couldn't help but exclaim.

Although it was a fundamental move, it directly reflected a player's ball-handling skills. Dribbling proficiency, rhythm, and center of gravity transfer were all evident in this move.

And Kira is definitely not an ordinary person! He might very well be a skilled ball-handler.

"Damn it!"

The excellent change of direction made Hyuga Junpei momentarily lose his balance, but he quickly adjusted and tried to keep up with Kira's attacking route.

However, at that moment, Kira changed his movement again. He tapped the ball to the ground with his left hand and caught it with his right hand, giving the impression that he was going to make another right-side breakthrough. This attracted Hyuga Junpei to the right and caused his center of gravity to shift backward.

But Kira instantly turned around and took a step back, creating a distance of two full body lengths. He was now in a perfect position for an undisturbed shot!

Kira was well aware that this was the effect of Rice Spirit's influence.

Fancy and proficient dribbling skills, not limited to football!

"Out of position!" Hyuga Junpei shouted loudly.

And Kira had already taken off, shooting the ball.