Kuroko’s Basketball: Before Generation Miracles, I Already Crowned Chapter 14 - 014: “Freeze Frame” or “Reverse Dunk”, Which On

Akihito Shigure took a deep breath, lungs burning. By now, he was completely imrsed in the ga, too locked in to spare even a second for the voices buzzing around him from the sidelines.

His clash with Nijimura Shuzo had already given him a pretty clear picture of how far his current capabilities could carry him in a real ga.

Offense-wise? Not bad. Even with Nijimura's suffocating defense, he could still break through with the help of his "skills."

But defense… was another story. Against Nijimura's relentless attacks, Shigure found himself outmatched, often having to rely on Kiyota Nobunaga's Aerial Block just to try and contest the finish.

Before it even reached the block, his defensive effort fell way short of Nijimura's.

And Shigure knew exactly why.

The problem wasn't physical talent, it was skill and experience.

But honestly, for soone at the first-year middle school level to have already honed his technique and ga sense to this degree, to read an opponent's movents on the fly and counter them in real-ti…

You couldn't just chalk that up to "experience."

It was ga reading.

Analytical speed.

Instinctive judgnt.

In other words, a monster-level talent.

Honestly, the way Nijimura kept targeting his weak spots on defense, and how he predicted Shigure's attacks with picture-perfect anticipation…

Shigure was half-convinced Nijimura had sothing like the Emperor Eye or sothing!

Tch… Freak of nature.

No wonder he was the Captain of the Rainbow Generation. This guy was built different.

Even so,

Shigure firmly believed he would be the one to win.

Because offensively, he still hadn't played all his cards. He could keep hitting Nijimura with unfamiliar patterns and take control of the ga.

And defensively?

He could always bet it all on his Aerial Block!

Which ant…

This match would co down to you can't guard , but I can still et you at the rim!

It's a race to 11. Five or six more possessions. If he burned through the rest of his skills cleanly, that should just about do it.

Shigure's offensive possession.

The mont he got the ball back, Nijimura instantly dropped his center of gravity and stepped in close!

This ti, he sunk way down into his stance. The distance between them shrank as soon as Shigure caught the ball, and Nijimura pressed one hand against his waist, using it to control space and pressure.

It was a refined defensive technique.

The goal?

Break the triple-threat stance before it even takes shape, force a dribble as early as possible!

But…

His stance was too low.

That ant Shigure could rise up imdiately and shoot right over the top!

As Nijimura crowded in, Shigure's body twisted slightly to maintain space. Noticing how low Nijimura had gone, he realized this was a golden opportunity: a quick Standing Smooth Three could easily catch him off guard.

Shigure: "!"

No…

Wait.

In Nijimura's piercing eyes, Shigure suddenly recalled just how calm and calculating this guy had been the entire match, and hesitated.

Yes, the Standing Smooth Three had a fast release… but to make it that quick, the jump had to be shallow. It was almost like a set shot.

This bastard…!

He baited !

He'd intentionally lowered his stance to lure Shigure into pulling up for the three!

Shigure imdiately abandoned the shot.

And in that sa heartbeat, Nijimura's defensive pressure surged. That hand on his waist, now forcibly crowding his movent, eating into his space to operate.

No choice.

I have to put the ball on the floor.

Tightly pressed but confident in his physical attributes, Shigure lowered his left shoulder and forced a gap between them. Ball protected, he sidestepped hard to the right to create separation.

Nijimura raised an eyebrow slightly.

This guy…

His reactions were crisp and poised. But the hesitation just now? That wasn't the move of soone used to strategizing, it ca from raw confidence, born of understanding his own capabilities.

Once he got so breathing room,

Shigure quickly checked the energy ter for his Ultimate Skills.

Got two loaded:

Goda Tomokazu: Freeze Fra

Kiyota Nobunaga: Reverse Dunk

But they both shared one energy bar.

Which ant: once he fired off one of them, the energy gauge would be completely drained.

He had already figured out how the energy system worked.

Basically, if he stood idle on the court, natural energy regen would max out once every 2 minutes or so. Once full, it stopped accumulating until used.

So the most efficient strategy? Use it the mont it's ready.

Aside from natural regen, you could build energy through scoring, steals, rebounds, and other positive stats, if you hadn't already hit the cap.

Land a flashy play? The bonus would be even greater.

Which ant,

He could realistically fire off an ultimate every 60 seconds if he kept up the montum.

And just like that,

After a massive dunk and a block earlier, barely a minute had passed, and his energy bar was glowing, fully charged, ready to go.

Now ca the real dilemma,

"Freeze Fra" or "Reverse Dunk"?

He'd already shown off Kiyota's Poster Dunk earlier.

Right now…

"Freeze Fra" was probably the safer play.

But the Reverse Dunk had never been used before, and it was one of his personal favorites.

Still, "Freeze Fra" had that guaranteed ankle-break…

Shigure: "..."

No question about it.

He'd go with the guaranteed kill this ti.

"Freeze Fra."