Elsewhere.
Inside the hotel where the Akita team was staying.
Everyone from Akita was gathered in the lounge, all staring seriously at the television in front of them.
On the screen, a match replay was playing.
It was the footage of the Kanagawa vs Aichi game.
As the seconds ticked by, the video came to an end.
The screen went blank. The lounge fell into silence.
No one said a word. Everyone remained still, lost in thought, the scenes from the match playing again and again in their minds. Their eyes full of weight and contemplation.
Domoto Goro sat in the main seat on the couch, hands clasped on his knees. He scanned the room slowly, watching the subtle shifts in each player's expression.
Then he stood up and broke the heavy silence.
"You've all seen the footage. Tell me your thoughts."
Another silence.
Fukatsu Kazunari leaned back into the sofa, lightly tapping his kneecap with his knuckles. His Adam's apple bobbed as he exhaled deeply and spoke first. "Honestly, there's not much to say. Kanagawa is basically a super-upgraded Shohoku. All of Shohoku is there. You can treat Maki Shinichi and the others as their bench depth."
Domoto Goro nodded. "You're not wrong. That's a fair point. Anything else?"
Sawakita Eiji suddenly leaned forward, his tone unusually heavy. "To be honest, Kanagawa's lineup is absurd. Let's not even talk about Shohoku—just Aoi Kunisaku alone is already a nightmare to deal with. Now they've added Maki Shinichi, Fujima Kenji, and Sendoh Akira. It's like giving wings to a tiger."
He paused, then gave a bitter smile. "I'll be real. This is the first time I've felt this unsure."
As soon as he said that, the room turned even heavier.
"Sigh…" Kawata Masashi let out a deep breath, his voice low. "Based on the footage, it's gonna be really hard for us to stop that kind of offense. But this is what matters most."
He slowly swept his gaze across the players, then lowered his voice. "Don't forget, that guy's strength... what we saw isn't even his full power."
At those words, the room froze. Silence spread like fog.
Everyone's eyes grew darker. In their minds, a single figure emerged.
Aoi Kunisaku.
That man who descended onto the court like a god of death. Who nearly destroyed their whole team by himself.
His drives were lightning-fast. His shots hit like thunder. Every attack felt like a blade slicing straight into their hearts.
Even though that match had been a while ago, just thinking about it made cold sweat rise on their backs. Their hearts thumped harder without them realizing.
Domoto Goro looked over their tense faces. He opened his mouth but couldn't speak.
He knew no words could comfort them now.
That "monster" called Aoi Kunisaku was like a towering mountain standing before them. Just looking up at him made it hard to breathe.
They had simulated counters against him countless times in practice. But every time it came to the Aoi Kunisaku phase, the room would fall silent.
No one knew how to beat his seemingly perfect technique. No one dared claim they could stop his next attack.
The silence in the room deepened. Domoto Goro suddenly remembered their younger selves. The ones with fists clenched and eyes full of fire, shouting they would take the championship.
Now, the name "Aoi Kunisaku" was like a bucket of ice water, killing that heat in one splash.
Cough, cough…
Domoto Goro knocked on the table, the sound cutting through the stillness like a blade.
He lifted his eyes, looked at their lowered faces, and suddenly hardened his tone. "So, what now? You're giving up already? Didn't you say you'd get revenge next time? What, backing down already?"
He paused, then added, "So what if it's Aoi Kunisaku? He's human. Humans make mistakes. We used to be that monster in other people's eyes too. If they stepped on us to climb up, why can't we step on them to rise again?"
The players lifted their heads, staring at him. Their blood began to stir.
That was a strong dose of motivation. They were fired up.
Not quite to the level of frenzy, but still...
Deep down, they were still afraid of Aoi Kunisaku.
Sawakita Eiji slowly clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. His eyes were deep and resolved. "No matter what, win or lose, I don't want any regrets."
Fukatsu Kazunari's face was just as firm. His eyes were full of that unyielding spirit. "Yeah. We lost last time, but that doesn't mean we'll lose again. I don't care how strong he is—we're going all in. Nothing on the court is absolute. I don't believe in invincibility."
Kawata Masashi smiled and added, "Same here. Even if one person can't stop him, we'll use two. Two not enough? Then three. I don't believe that if we glue ourselves to him, he can still run that fast."
Seeing their fighting spirit rise again, Domoto Goro couldn't help but smile.
Over the next three days,
Kanagawa and Akita continued to compete in Group A and Group B respectively.
Day One.
Kanagawa defeated their opponent 147 to 66.
Akita defeated their opponent 136 to 64.
Day Two.
Kanagawa defeated their opponent 126 to 48.
Akita defeated their opponent 117 to 84.
Day Three.
Kanagawa defeated their opponent 169 to 59.
Akita defeated their opponent 133 to 71.
Both teams bulldozed their way through the rounds, crushing their opponents with overwhelming scores one after another, like sweeping autumn leaves.
As expected, the powerhouse teams of Kanagawa and Akita both advanced to the finals without any surprises.
And finally, the tournament reached Day Four.
This ultimate showdown was about to begin.
The match between Kanagawa and Akita was once again held at the Tokyo Gymnasium.
Outside the venue, crowds were already packed. People coming to watch streamed in endlessly. Compared to the earlier matches, the energy at the gates was several times more intense. The stairs were completely filled with bodies.
Inside the gym, the stands were completely full. No empty seats in sight. A sea of heads as far as the eye could see.
Many fans who couldn't get seats squeezed into any available space to stand. Even so, their faces glowed with excitement.
Reporters from sports newspapers and basketball magazines had long set up their cameras. Shutters clicked nonstop on their phones.
Before the game even started, the arena was lit up with flashes like falling stars. Everyone was waiting for this peak battle to begin.
Aida Yayoi glanced at her watch.
There were still thirty minutes until tipoff.
Eyes sparkling, she said, "The players will be coming out any minute now. Rather than call this a clash between Kanagawa and Akita, it's more like a rematch between Shohoku and Sannoh."
Nakamura Taizou asked in confusion, "A rematch between Shohoku and Sannoh?"
Aida Yayoi nodded and explained, "Kanagawa's lineup is basically an enhanced version of Shohoku. Sannoh was upset by Shohoku in the national tournament. A lot of people think luck played a part in that game. Now, Akita has basically kept Sannoh's original roster. You could call this a revenge match."
Nakamura Taizou thought for a second, then said, "So you're saying Akita will lose to Kanagawa?"
Aida Yayoi shook her head, her tone a bit complicated. "I'm not sure. In terms of overall strength, both sides are dominant and can crush other teams. The outcome should be extremely close. It's just that... Kanagawa has that one guy."
"That guy?" Nakamura Taizou immediately pictured Aoi Kunisaku's silhouette—his blazing speed on the court, his impossible drives. "You mean Aoi Kunisaku!"
Aida Yayoi nodded. "Right. Without him, this could've been a 50-50 fight. But now... Akita has to figure out how to deal with him. We'll see what Coach Domoto has prepared to contain this unpredictable element."
...
In the stands.
The spectators waiting for the game were already deep in debate about the final result.
Some thought Akita would win.
But more believed in Kanagawa.
After all, Akita's roster was from past champions. Kanagawa was made up of current champions and runners-up.
One champion versus a champion plus a runner-up.
It was obvious who had the edge.
In a corner of the stands—
Akagi Haruko sat between her two best friends. Beside them were a few boys from the Sakuragi gang.
Haruko looked around. Waves of cheers crashed under the lights like tides. Her eyes sparkled. "Wow! So many people! This is my first time watching the Autumn National Athletic Meet, and it doesn't lose at all to the Summer League!"
Fujii nodded. "Yeah! It's so lively. Even though it's our first time watching the Autumn Meet, it still feels oddly familiar."
Suddenly, Matsui lazily leaned over with his dull fish eyes and nodded toward a corridor. "It is familiar. Look over there."
Haruko and Fujii followed his gaze. At the corner of the hallway stood three figures.
White blouses and short pleated skirts—their cheerleading uniforms stood out. Their skirts fluttered slightly as they moved.
The two girls stared at the familiar faces and both twitched at the corners of their mouths.
Haruko sighed in exasperation. "They really came, huh…"
Fujii rubbed her forehead and shook her head. "They're really persistent…"
...
Clang... clang...
Just then, the creaking of two heavy iron doors echoed through the arena.
The buzzing crowd noise abruptly cut off, like someone hit pause. Silence fell.
All eyes instinctively turned to the players' entrance tunnel.
Moments later, players from both teams walked out one by one from their respective tunnels, their silhouettes coming into view.
The moment they appeared, a tidal wave of cheering exploded from the stands.
The next second—
"Akita... Akita... Akita..."
"Kanagawa... Kanagawa... Kanagawa..."
The opposing chants surged from both sides, two completely different energies spreading across the venue.
At the tunnel entrances, both teams stood still.
No one moved first.
As if on cue, they all looked toward the opposite side.
They stared across the court, eyes locking in a silent clash.
In that moment, even the lights of the gym seemed to dim.
Invisible yet sharp auras like streaks of lightning blasted from both squads, colliding midair and sparking an intense invisible fire.