Sendoh's Strength (1)

Chi Tong brought the ball up slowly, the basketball bouncing rhythmically beneath his fingertips with each step. His gaze swept across Hainan's defensive formation like a radar.

Maki Shinichi guarded him closely, his eyes locked firmly on the basketball in Chi Tong's hands.

Kiyota Nobunaga lurked on the wing, ready to help defend at any moment, while Jin Soichiro kept a close watch on Koshino outside the arc. Their defensive positioning was airtight, without the slightest flaw.

Maki Shinichi's expression was especially grave as the image of Chi Tong shaking off Muto Tadashi earlier replayed repeatedly in his mind.

Those two seemingly ordinary crossovers had concealed a clever trick that disrupted one's center of gravity. He absolutely could not let his guard down.

Every nerve in his body was taut now, like a fully drawn bow, waiting for Chi Tong's next move.

Suddenly, Chi Tong flicked his wrist, switching the ball rapidly between his hands in two consecutive crossovers. The range of motion, rhythm, even the force at his fingertips—it was exactly the same as when he had shaken Muto Tadashi down!

Alarm bells blared in Maki Shinichi's mind. He instinctively adjusted his center of gravity, spreading his feet slightly and bending his knees, prepared for the possibility of losing his balance. Even his breathing slowed unconsciously; he was terrified of repeating Muto Tadashi's mistake.

Yet after the crossover ended, Maki Shinichi remained firmly rooted in place, without the slightest sensation of his balance shifting.

Chi Tong's move had only looked similar. It contained none of the subtle force that disrupted one's center of gravity—just the most basic change in rhythm.

I'd been tricked?

Maki Shinichi's pupils suddenly constricted. He had just raised his hand to intercept when Chi Tong violently swung his arm, sending the basketball flying toward Koshino