Is Shigure Akihito's strength really a weakness?
What a joke…
It's absolutely his strength!
After being manhandled by the opposing player, the power forward from Kamizaki couldn't help but feel ashamed of his earlier, naive assumptions.
That block—its height alone was beyond belief. Never in his experience had Kamizaki's power forward imagined a middle school player could leap so high!
And at such close range, witnessing it firsthand was far more shocking than anything he'd ever seen in game footage.
Ridiculously high!
The moment Shigure Akihito sprang into the air and reached out for the block, a thought instinctively crossed the power forward's mind.
And right after that…
Such raw power!
That was the second thing that hit him.
On the court.
Everyone from Kamizaki Middle School froze in place after witnessing Akihito's emphatic block under the rim.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, who would've believed that a terrifying block like that could happen in a regional qualifier—and the guy who did it was a shooting guard, no less!
The block didn't just stun the opposing players—it left a significant portion of the audience completely blindsided. The sheer dominance Shigure displayed inside the paint was nothing short of monstrous.
And of course, someone like Shigure Akihito wasn't about to waste such a golden opportunity.
With a swift, decisive long pass, he launched the ball toward midcourt, where Aomine Daiki, already racing ahead with full enthusiasm, snatched it up and blew past everyone behind him!
Swish!
Fast-break score!
"Aomine Daiki is insanely fast!"
"What a beautiful play!"
"Incredible!"
The gym erupted in a chorus of cheers and excited chatter. The noise poured down on Kamizaki Middle School like a heavy curtain, draining their momentum completely.
And just then…
Clap!
Clap!
Clap!
Clear, deliberate applause rang out from Kamizaki's bench.
Everyone turned toward the sound to see Inoue Tomoya, the standout Kamizaki freshman, applauding as he passed by each of his teammates, whispering something serious to them one by one.
"That's right."
"There's no way we're going down that easily."
After his brief words, the Kamizaki players looked toward Teiko again. Their earlier heavy expressions began to shift. In just moments, a collective energy was rekindled among them.
Truth be told, their coach had just been about to call a timeout.
But when he saw what Inoue was doing, he decided to hold back.
Kamizaki's own "freshman ace" was doing an excellent job boosting team morale. And the coach knew—Inoue was about to strike back.
Kamizaki inbounded the ball from the baseline.
Seeing the opponents' morale reigniting, Akashi seized the perfect moment.
Without hesitation, he launched forward. As a freshman, Akashi's speed was second only to Aomine's, and his sudden burst caught Kamizaki's point guard completely off guard.
Smack!
With zero hesitation, Akashi cleanly stole the ball.
The loose ball bounced out
and was swiftly scooped up by Aomine Daiki!
Blocking his path was none other than Inoue Tomoya, the same player he'd faced in that fierce pickup game on the street court.
Seeing him again, Aomine's face lit up with excitement.
Dribble!
Dribble!
Dribble!
The basketball danced between Aomine's legs like a blur. Inoue didn't relax for a second, locked in with laser-sharp focus, his expression utterly intense.
Both players were completely dialed in.
Then
"Here I come!"
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Just as the words left his mouth, Aomine's ball-handling grew even heavier. After two wildly exaggerated crossovers, he launched into a sudden spin move, exploding forward with jaw-dropping speed!
But to Teiko's surprise, Inoue reacted instantly—cutting him off again!
Aomine blinked in momentary surprise but quickly pushed harder
Back glide step.
Shammgod.
Cross-step drive.
Hip swivel.
Low lunge attack!
And yet, the next moment shocked everyone on Teiko's bench who had never seen Inoue play—he caught up again, planting himself squarely in front of Aomine!
From Shigure Akihito's perspective, the two were moving in perfect sync—a delicate balance between offense and defense.
"No way…"
"He blocked Aomine twice?!"
"Is this for real?!"
"Other schools have freshmen this strong?!"
"That's rare…"
From Teiko's bench, a few emergency third-year substitutes whispered in stunned disbelief.
On the court, Aomine's expression grew more excited.
Aside from his upperclassmen starters, Aomine had believed no one outside of Teiko could ever slow him down.
But clearly…
He'd forgotten something, thanks to all that insane training lately.
This guy
Inoue Tomoya
was a rival who could force him to go all out!
Kamizaki's coach wiped the sweat from his brow as he watched the exchange unfold.
Teiko's first years…
Another monster.
The confidence he'd built all season thanks to Inoue had completely evaporated. In front of Teiko's freshman class, even that sense of pride was shattered.
He had heard Inoue talk about them before the Nationals—but seeing it now, in person, he finally understood what Inoue meant.
He could see it clearly—Inoue had already burned through everything he had just to keep up with those two attacks.
And that wasn't surprising—he knew Inoue's ability better than anyone.
That kind of defense? It was everything Inoue had.
Yet even then, those two drives from Teiko's No. 9 were razor-thin close. A single misstep, and Inoue would've been left in the dust.
And this was just one of Teiko's first-years…
Already forcing Kamizaki's brightest hope for the future to this point.
Kamizaki's coach: "..."
Teiko…
Their freshmen lineup…
It's the real deal.
The red-haired point guard with vision and speed, the green-haired sharpshooter with deadly accuracy, the gray-haired forward with the same ferocity as Aomine…
And on the bench?
A hulking center, just sitting there—and even from afar, you could tell he was a walking talent bomb.
Honestly…
If Teiko's first-years all followed the growth trajectory of last year's "Twin Stars" or even half of it, they could very well surpass the current team.
Not necessarily in individual skill…
…but in terms of a fully balanced lineup, packed with monsters at every position—no weaknesses.
The Kamizaki coach couldn't help but glance toward the Teiko bench, where Shirogane Kōzō sat calm and still, like an emperor at court.
He really had to wonder
"Coach Shirogane… Do you really have some kind of alchemy?"
"Just where the hell did you find all these monsters?!"
On the court.
"Aomine, it won't be that easy!"
Inoue Tomoya lowered his stance, eyes intense. He knew—this possession would be hard to stop.
But still
"You're not getting through!"
No sooner had he spoken than Aomine flashed a wild grin—his dribbling becoming more untamed, his tempo more erratic.
A pressure, intangible yet ferocious, rolled toward Inoue like a charging beast.
Focus.
Stay locked in.
Inoue's full concentration snapped into place. Since entering junior high, outside of that streetball game, this was the first time he'd defended with such calculated care.
And yet…
Boom!
Boom!
Aomine picked up speed again. His shifting weight, combined with lightning-fast crossovers, created a sense of constant threat—as if every moment could explode into a drive.
No telegraphing, no windup—just raw athleticism and instinct.
He weaved agility and talent into a seamless, unpredictable flow.
Smack!
On the razor's edge, Aomine struck—a sharp feint, a sudden shift
Inoue's defense finally cracked just a little.
In the blink of an eye, Aomine broke through, brushing past Inoue's side!
Just like…
That street court game.
No
Aomine was clearly…
Even stronger now.
With rapid, pounding dribbles, he surged past the perimeter and into the lane!
Kamizaki's help defense was left behind in a flash. All that remained between Aomine and the hoop was a wide-open paint.
As for the big man inside?
He was completely locked up—softly neutralized by Shigure Akihito.
Bang!
Aomine soared into the air
and hammered the ball through with a forceful one-handed dunk!
The scoreboard lit up
Teiko Middle School: +2 points.
End of chapter...
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