"No way… No freaking way…"
"Is that guy Captain America or something?"
"You think he has superpowers…?"
The Youth Team captain sat in silence, expressionless, as his goofy teammates rattled off the exact same lines they'd said earlier.
"Maybe there's something inside the ball… like a magnet that pulls it toward the hoop—"
"Shut up!"
The captain snapped, cutting them off. But this time… even he didn't have a real answer for what to do against Kise.
A fadeaway that goes in with a hand in his face — while his body's literally parallel to the floor?What is he, from Space Jam?
The captain sighed internally. But beneath the frustration, he also felt… a strange kind of excitement. Recruiting this kind of monster into the Youth Team?The future was suddenly looking very secure.
Yuki quietly sat off to the side, not saying a word. His eyes were fixed on Kise.
"So strong… I want to pass the ball to him. Playing with a guy like that must be a blast…"
A hint of longing flickered in Yuki's gaze. At first, he was only considering joining Kaijo because Kota had pressured him into it. But now? He was genuinely interested. Admiration for strength is human nature—and even though he hadn't known them long, Kaijo's team spirit was obvious.
Meanwhile, the Youth Team captain racked his brain and still came up empty. There was no clean way to stop Kise.
All he could do was order the team to increase defensive intensity—force Kise to burn through his stamina.
It's fine. He can't keep this up for long.If we drag it into the fourth quarter, we'll win this.
The thought made him smile slightly.He could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
He wasn't the only one thinking that.
Even Takeuchi, who was serving as referee, shared the same belief.
He knew Kaijo inside and out.Just keeping up with the Youth Team was already impressive.
But actually winning? Kise alone wasn't enough to make that happen.
Takeuchi's eyes drifted to the Kaijo bench — To Kota, sitting with one leg crossed over the other.
"You better step up" he thought. "Even if I risk my own reputation… if you don't shine in the fourth quarter, there's no way I can recommend you for the Youth Team."
Kota had played well through the first three quarters—but compared to Kise's explosive performance, it paled in comparison.
And Kota's athleticism and physical tools were… below average, to put it mildly.
If he didn't dominate once Kise ran out of gas, not even Takeuchi would have the face to vouch for him.
As Takeuchi silently prayed for Kota to deliver, the short break came to an end.
"Man, I'm already tired after going all-out for just a few minutes. And this timeout was way too short…"
Kise grumbled while tying his shoes. He made a mental note to train his stamina seriously before the Winter Cup.
Kota stood next to him, hands on his hips, looking at the scoreboard.
Three minutes left in the third.
81–73.
Still an eight-point gap.
"Genius, close the gap. I'll carry you in the fourth."
Kise looked up—Their eyes met.He smirked.
"Who's carrying who again…?"
"Whatever. We're tying it either way. The fourth quarter's yours, Kota."
Kise stretched, fingers laced behind his head.
"Eight points? That's nothing. But once I burn through that, I'll probably need a long break…"
Kota smiled, eyes sharp.He understood the unspoken message.
In the fourth quarter, everything would rest on his shoulders.
No problem.
Kota opened his system anel.
After winning Interhigh, the system had finally given him a new talent:
...
Talent: Fourth Quarter King
When entering the fourth quarter, all offensive abilities increase by 20%. Can stack with other talents.
As the King of the Final Quarter, your shooting touch will always be on fire.
The first three quarters are just warmups. If you want to win, it's do-or-die in the fourth.
...
This was the reason he'd let Kise burn out early — his secret weapon.
Unlike past talents, which came from beating individual members of the Generation of Miracles, this one came from defeating all of them and winning the interhigh title. It was a full-system reward.
"You better not let me down" Kota thought. "I already bragged to Kise. If I flop now, I'll never live it down."
He hadn't used this talent yet — not even once. But judging from the description…It was broken. Just having "always-hot shooting touch" made it god-tier. Add a flat 20% buff to all offensive stats?Yeah—no wonder Kota was so confident.
The game resumed.
Kise kept dominating. In his Perfect Copy state, he was unstoppable.
Even when the Youth Team resorted to fouling, it barely slowed him down.
Shot after ridiculous shot rained down — Each one more absurd than the last.
The Youth Team captain's poker face had long since collapsed.He was numb.
What's it like to face a player who can shoot from literally anywhere—and dunk from the three-point line with Aomine's speed?
The answer?
There's just… nothing you can do.
End of 3rd Quarter: 84–83.
Kaijo had taken the lead. Kise not only tore apart the Youth Team's defense…He also copied Akashi's Emperor Eye and Aomine's agility, becoming a defensive terror as well.
One careless moment, and he'd swipe the ball right from you.
Even players quick enough to react and fight for the ball got tossed aside—
A 6'10 center… Sent flying by a 6'2 small forward.
It was insane.
"So someone really can carry an entire team by themselves…"
The Youth Team captain muttered, in awe.
Luckily, that person would probably be his teammate in the future.
He looked around at his exhausted team.
"We're fine. His movements slowed down at the end of the third. He's out of gas."
"Everyone — lock in. If we lose to a high school team today, you're all running extra drills back at camp!"
Meanwhile, on Kaijo's bench…
Kise lay flat on the bench, gasping like a fish out of water. Unintelligible groans spilled from his mouth.
Kota sat beside him, lightly patting his forehead — But his eyes were locked on the Youth Team's bench, mentally preparing for the final quarter.
At the scorer's table, Takeuchi tried his best to ignore his internal turmoil.
He was the referee now. He had to be fair and impartial.
Especially for a match like this, which held huge implications.
He couldn't show bias—no matter how badly he wanted to ask for just a few more minutes of rest for Kise.
But rules were rules.
He glanced at the clock.
The break between quarters wasn't long.And it definitely wasn't long enough for Kise to recover.
Takeuchi watched the seconds tick by, visibly conflicted. Finally — he let the rest period drag two minutes longer…
Then blew his whistle.
BEEP!
Fourth quarter—begin.