Chapter 37: A punch in the face

Everyone on the court wore the same expression – disbelief. Tsuna had blitzed through Hibiya's lackluster defense, effortlessly scoring extra points for his team.

Even the referee seemed momentarily stunned, his whistle delayed.

Tsuna did not mind the referee's confusion, simply strolling back to his former position.

Imayoshi and his teammates gradually snapped out of their stupor and resumed the game, trotting back to retrieve the ball.

When the ball found its way to Imayoshi, he was puzzled. Every Teiko 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 Teiko was thinking.

Imayoshi dribbled the ball at a leisurely pace, closely marked by Nijimura.

While passing to Hanamiya seemed like the obvious choice, after witnessing Tsuna's remarkable feat, Imayoshi discarded that option.

"You folks have an unusual one on your team, huh? He's really just a freshman?"

Imayoshi offered a polite smile to Nijimura, who stood before him, though Nijimura didn't seem in the mood for banter.

"...Could you stay quiet for once?"

"That's a shame..."

Imayoshi nonchalantly shrugged, his usual smile fading. He added, "But you might underestimate us a bit too much..."

Imayoshi made his move, attempting to breach Nijimura's defense. Nijimura, however, showed no fear as he tried to thwart Imayoshi's advance.

Imayoshi was in for a surprise when he attempted to break through Nijimura's defense. However, Nijimura 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 Tsuna, who was quite far from them a second ago, was right there before him. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened as Tsuna swiftly swiped the ball from his hand, leaving him helpless.

"Did he intentionally hold back his pace in the last few quarters?" Imayoshi wondered aloud, his words reaching Nijimura, who shook his head.

"You've got it wrong," Nijimura responded as he watched Tsuna swiftly break through Hibiya's defensive lines. He then turned his gaze back to Imayoshi. "Tsuna's a training fanatic. He's probably conserving his stamina for some intense training later."

"But thanks to you guys," Nijimura spoke, his eyes locked on Tsuna as he skillfully navigated through the defense. "Tsuna now has to put in a bit more effort into the game..."

Even though it went against his typical approach, Tsuna had to restrain himself during this game. He was preserving his energy for later training, knowing he was still a middle schooler and had to maximize his growth potential.

"That's why he's giving just enough to win and still have some left," Nijimura explained.

Imayoshi couldn't believe what he heard as he muttered, "What an absolute nonsense..."

As Tsuna 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 Tsuna's next move.

Seeing this, Tsuna remained unfazed.

Drawing closer, Tsuna dribbled left in front of Hanamiya. Hanamiya clenched his teeth, struggling to match Tsuna's speed.

As Hanamiya almost intercepted Tsuna's move, Tsuna swiftly pivoted, changing direction completely.

"...Dammit!"

Hanamiya couldn't help but curse aloud. His determination was unyielding as he strained his ankle to pivot and continue chasing Tsuna. He was determined to stop this freshman at any cost.

Tsuna, however, just frowned, finding Hanamiya's persistence as relentless as a cockroach's as Hanamiya managed to stay right on his tail.

"Unfortunately for you, I've got plenty of room for a layup..."

Tsuna 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 Tsuna's layup form almost complete, Hanamiya suddenly had an idea. He closed the distance between him and Tsuna, and his eyes darted toward the referee.

"Perfect timing! Looks like luck's on my side," Hanamiya sneered, a mischievous glint in his eye as he ruthlessly elbowed Tsuna in the chest.

"You...!" The expletives erupted from the Teiko players, their anger boiling over as they witnessed the dirty play.

Tsuna's eyes widened in disbelief, and he lost his grip on the ball. Pain radiated from his chest, and it took him a moment to grasp what had just occurred.

As the realization dawned on him, a surge of anger welled up inside Tsuna. He turned to face Hanamiya, who was wearing a self-satisfied smirk as if he had orchestrated this moment.

Though seething with rage, Tsuna's expression remained eerily calm. He extended his hand with lightning-quick reflexes, and the spectators watched in 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 Tsuna's outstretched hand in disbelief.

"Why... did you stop me?"

A voice cut through the tension, and a figure emerged behind Hanamiya. It seemed like this figure had struck Hanamiya, but his attack was halted by Tsuna's hand.

"Why do I stop you? Are you even asking the right question, Nijimura?"

Tsuna's response was eerily calm, sending shivers down Hanamiya's spine.

However, he just shrugged it off as he turned to see Nijimura.

Hanamiya realized that Tsuna hadn't tried to punch him as expected. Instead, Tsuna had prevented his own teammate from delivering the blow. 

They were quite a distance apart when he pulled his dirty trick. Hanamiya figured that Nijimura, upon seeing what he had done, was furious enough to charge at him with a punch.

Hanamiya smirked at Nijimura, who shot daggers at him with his eyes.

"Heh, why are you so mad, man? I was just having some fun..."

Nijimura's anger seemed to intensify upon hearing this. He pulled back his punch and sidestepped, sending a hook right into Hanamiya's smirking face.

Tsuna sighed as he hurried to stop Nijimura from potentially getting Teiko disqualified.

Seeing the chaotic situation unfold, the referee blew the whistle and stepped in to separate them. He called for a technical timeout to cool things down. Both teams retreated to their benches, trying to understand what had just happened.

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