That day
Shigure Akihito stood with both hands in his pockets, as if the very idea of a worthy opponent was foreign to him.
When Nijimura glanced over at him
He simply mirrored the gaze, saying nothing, putting on the air of a mysterious ace.
And yet…
His heart was pounding, his hands trembling.
God, this felt amazing~!
A knock-off version of the Zone, maybe, but it sort of counted!
Honestly, Shigure never expected a "regular stats player" to be this monstrous. From now on, whether it's a regular match or a training camp, everyone gets treated the same under his system.
Up in the stands
Shigure's "cool and sharp" aura drew wave after wave of cheers from the crowd.
Then, at some point, his name began to spread like wildfire, echoing from every corner of the arena.
On the court
Ever since Shigure triggered his Green Light, and locked in that state using the Green Miracle talent, the already grim outlook for Senzan Middle turned completely hopeless. He seized total control.
And now, once again, the ball was in his hands.
Despite being double-teamed, thanks to Light-Speed Dribbling and his stack of Miracle Speed I, II, and III, his ball-handling speed was pushed to the absolute limit!
Going all out, even the simplest movements, relying solely on instincts and skills from his past life, were elevated to the level of a full-blown player skill in this match!
Stop on a dime!
Half-spin!
Dragging foot!
Behind-the-back crossover!
A seamless sequence of moves executed just as he envisioned, and with that, he broke through Senzan's defense, finishing with a clean, mid-range pull-up jumper.
Swish!
Each action, though not quite as smooth as a system-generated "player skill,"
Still hit like a gust of wind, swift and unstoppable!
…
Back on the court,
Shigure Akihito was still wreaking havoc under Green Light!
Facing him directly was Reo Mibuchi. And through that blistering speed, he seemed to catch faint glimpses of green streaks flashing past his eyes again and again.
And then,
Shigure drove straight into the paint!
Reo's breathing grew heavier and heavier. It was like his body had frozen, he simply couldn't keep up.
Turning around,
Sure enough.
Shigure faced two big men in the paint, yet moved as if no one was there. With sheer speed and dazzling ball control, he weaved through the tight space like a ghost.
Smack!
He leapt,
Posterized dunk on Kiyota Nobunaga!
Right beneath Senzan's hoop, Shigure soared with ridiculous height and speed, slamming the ball down with a force that rocked the rim.
Reo could only watch helplessly, his body bent over, gasping for air. Sweat dripped from his forehead as his mind blanked completely.
Damn it.
There's no stopping him!
Forget effective defense, just trying to follow his movements is already a lost cause.
There's no way to match up against him...
…
Amid thunderous cheers from the arena, Shigure Akihito soared again.
Before the defenders even reacted, he had already finished another dunk.
"Haah…"
Without realizing it, Shigure's breathing had grown labored, and he could feel his stamina plummeting at an alarming rate.
Coach Hongō of Senzan Middle picked up on this.
However,
It was already too late.
Time ticked away quietly. So fast, before anyone noticed, it was already the end of the third quarter.
Score on the board:
Teiko vs. Senzan , 89:47
Coach Shiramine Kozo of Teiko also noticed Shigure's waning stamina and immediately subbed him out.
Shigure: "…"
Tch~
With his speed ramped up so much, of course his stamina tanked just as fast.
As the crowd erupted in cheers, Shigure made a show of walking off the court like he wasn't even winded.
Meanwhile, the Senzan players watched him exit with resigned expressions. They shook their heads slightly, frustration and helplessness written all over their faces, feelings that had lingered throughout the entire game.
"No doubt about it…"
"Coach Shiramine really brought a monster this year…"
Coach Hongō couldn't help but feel shocked at this freshman who was dominating the national stage.
And that wasn't even the only first-year with insane talent on Teiko's roster.
If it weren't for #7 Shigure Akihito…
Then perhaps,
The spotlight would've fallen on that other freshman: the all-around #8 who could single-handedly elevate the entire team.
"Phew…"
Coach Hongō let out a long sigh.
This Senzan team was the best he could put together, with all his resources and effort. Next year, with the third-years graduating, he wasn't even sure he could rebuild a team worthy of chasing the title again before Reo's junior high career ended.
And the most terrifying part,
With Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo forming the foundation, Teiko might remain untouchable in junior high basketball for the next two years.
Senzan, meanwhile… last year, they were just one step away…
And this year,
They failed again to elevate this group of third-years to new heights.
Next year? Even less of a chance.
It was truly heartbreaking.
…
On court, the score gap only widened. A comeback was now a fantasy.
After enduring Shigure Akihito's blitzkrieg, Senzan had lost the will to fight.
Every second ticking down on the clock was like a heavy blow to their spirits, hammering in the agony of defeat.
BZZZZZZZ!
The referee's whistle blew, game over.
Final score:
113:64
Senzan lost by a staggering 49 points. An entire year's effort, only to end like this. Every third-year player wore a grim expression.
Meanwhile, the crowd buzzed with awe at Teiko's sheer dominance.
"Senzan was last year's runner-up… and they lost this badly?!"
"Teiko is a monster this year!"
"Okayama only beat Senzan by 30 last year. Does this mean Teiko is stronger than Okayama?"
"Not necessarily…"
"Last year, all of Okayama's starters were second-years. Now they're seniors, their strength must have improved too."
"Either way, Teiko has a real shot at the championship!"
…
Next up,
The final day of the national tournament.
In the morning:
One semifinal match:
Teiko vs. Tōei
Compared to Senzan, Tōei was weaker. They only made it to the semifinals thanks to a favorable bracket draw.
Because of the sustained acceleration caused by Green Light yesterday, Shigure had over-exerted himself. Though he felt fine after a night's rest, Coach Shiramine kept him benched for the first half.
At this moment,
We're in the third quarter of Teiko vs. Tōei.
On court:
Nijimura Shuzo is going wild!
Bang!
Tōei's power forward tried to charge in but got stonewalled by Nijimura, who swatted the ball away. Kamaba Masatoshi grabbed the rebound and immediately passed it to Nijimura, who had already activated Wild Instinct and started his assault.
"Not a chance!"
Two Tōei defenders stared him down with fierce determination. Even if they couldn't win, they were hell-bent on stopping this freshman monster, at least once!
But in the next instant,
With Nijimura's refined dribbling, all they saw was a fading afterimage that roared like a lion!
Before they could react, he spun violently like a charging beast, barreled through the opening between the two defenders, and disappeared past them!
Reverse layup, score!
From spin to finish, brutal, yet silky smooth!
"Woah…"
Shigure nearly blurted out something NSFW.
"Beautiful!"
"Nijimura!!"
"Defense!"
"Defense!"
Teiko's bench erupted in cheers.
On the flip side,
Tōei's players were drenched in sweat, clearly overwhelmed!
From the third quarter onward,
No.
From the start of this match, everyone felt the crushing pressure radiating from Teiko's #8, Nijimura Shuzo. That feral aura was suffocating.
Like a predator lion patrolling its domain, ready to hunt down every intruder.
"Huff…"
"Haah…"
Tōei's players were drenched, slumped with hands on knees or hips, completely spent.
"What's going on? Tōei is collapsing too fast!"
"Weren't they strong in the other bracket?"
"It's not just Teiko, it's Nijimura. And the scariest part? Shigure Akihito is still on the bench!"
"Ah… damn…"
On Tōei's bench,
Their coach frowned, racking his brain for answers.
But no matter how he sliced it,
This year's Teiko was simply too strong!
And it's just Nijimura on the court right now. Everyone knows Teiko has two absurd first-year stars. The other one, possibly even scarier, is sitting on the bench, energetically waving a towel!
Maybe he's injured…?
Tōei Coach: "…"
Forget it.
That's Okayama's problem.
They can't even handle Nijimura, who are they to worry about whether Shigure is hurt?
Just as he thought this, the stands began to stir. The Tōei coach looked over instinctively.
Then froze.
Teiko #7, Shigure Akihito, was warming up.
"…Seriously?"
No chill. Teiko was leading by this much and still bringing in Shigure? What had Tōei done to deserve getting tag-teamed by both Twin Stars?
But,
Shigure had his own reasons.
He had a system task.
A surprise mid-match scoring-based quest. Though it was already halfway through the third quarter and full rewards were unlikely, he at least wanted to secure the minimum.
Upon entering,
Shigure immediately went iso!
For the score, he crossed halfcourt and pulled up from waaaay deep!
Swish~!
Long-range three-pointer, nothing but net!
That shot ignited a fresh wave of cheers from the stands!
And the Tōei players, now witnessing it up close, were wide-eyed.
A pull-up three from near halfcourt, like a dream!
Next possession:
Tōei's offense.
They wisely avoided Shigure. After their experience with Nijimura, they knew better.
You can't fight a Teiko first-year monster head-on.
So,
Tōei shifted to a power-post attack.
But Shigure, now hungry for points, wasn't about to sit back. If they won't come to him, he'll go find them!
As soon as they tried to post up,
BOOM!!
An explosive, deafening block rang out!
A Tōei player was smacked away by Shigure's full-force volleyball-style spike block!
Yes, physically slapped away!
All the way out of bounds!
The entire Tōei team shuddered.
They subbed out one monster, only to sub in another just as violent!
BZZZ!
BZZZZ!
The player who got smacked didn't get up right away. The whistle blew as the ref checked him out, thankfully, no serious injury.
But after that,
Tōei surrendered.
All starters were benched. Subs went in. Shigure's scoring quest was abruptly cut short, he stood there stunned, unable to say a word.
"…?"
Was that his fault for blocking too hard?
Then he glanced at the scoreboard,
Yeah, it wasn't just his block.
Blame Nijimura, who'd been going full rampage mode all game.
It was only midway through the third quarter.
Teiko vs. Tōei: 85:33
Is this even real?
Seriously?!
…
From then on, Shigure, Nijimura, and all starters sat quietly on the bench as the game wound down. Shigure could only stare at the system task in frustration.
Watching helplessly as Teiko's bench squad tore apart Tōei's subs.
After all,
They still had their former starters Asahi Nanaki and Shō Izawa sitting on the bench.
Asahi: "Being a sub isn't half bad."
Izawa: "Didn't feel this fun before~"
After the game ended,
Asahi and Izawa exchanged a knowing look.
While the Tōei substitutes, thoroughly pummeled, muttered angrily:
"Substitutes? Teiko calls these monsters substitutes?!"
They thought they'd just run out the clock and make a cameo. Instead, they got wrecked and humiliated.
Damn it!
Both teams lined up, shook hands at center court, and the victory was declared.
Back on the bench, Tōei's players were all visibly dejected. Their coach understood, though there was nothing he could do.
"We did pretty well…"
"Making the Final Four with our roster is an accomplishment."
"Think about it, Senzan only made Top 8!"
Saying this, the coach realized how much he was trying to comfort himself. He paused, then added:
"Alright!"
"We've clearly seen the gap. When we go back, we have to train harder. In the qualifiers, our strength was enough, but to win nationals…"
"I think we all know how much luck played into it."
"And you saw it yourselves, right? First-years! Both of them!"
"They're junior high players just like you, if they can be that strong, why can't you?!"
"From now on, make Teiko's Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo your target!"
The third-years were speechless at that, but some first-years, and even a few clueless second-years, had their eyes light up.
Yeah!
They're first-years too!
Why the hell are they so much stronger than us?!
Train!
Train like hell once we get back!
…
After Teiko's win, the other semifinal result came in.
Okayama Middle dominated their opponent and advanced to the final.
And,
Shigure Akihito also took note of one thing: every member of the Uncrowned Five, including Kiyoshi Teppei, was knocked out.
Still… they were just first-years.
It wasn't unexpected.
And now,
This summer… the final match of the national tournament… is about to begin.
That very afternoon,
Teiko vs. Okayama!
End of chapter...
To be continued...
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