Although Inoue Tomoya failed to defend in the 1-on-1, Kamizaki Junior High immediately launched a fast counterattack from the baseline.
In the blink of an eye, the ball was in the backcourt—picked up by Inoue Tomoya in full sprint.
Inoue Tomoya's solo fast break!
"Defense!"
"Midorima!"
"Haizaki! Over there!"
Teiko responded just as quickly. Shigure Akito was the first to shout out instructions, commanding everyone to get back and reposition in time. Because of this swift transition, Inoue's fast break was forced to a halt.
"So well-drilled..."
What caught him off guard even more was the fact that the calm and composed voice giving out defensive orders belonged to none other than Shigure-senpai—the same guy who always turned into a demon the moment he got fired up in past games.
As expected, the Twin Stars of Teiko learn from each other.
"If that's the case, a fast break won't work."
Facing Aomine Daiki in front of him, Inoue assumed a triple-threat stance and continued in a low voice,
"Normally, we should be looking to move the ball, draw your defense out, then find an opening in the gaps."
"But..."
He paused, then said clearly,
"With the way you attacked just now, there's no way I can ignore it. So this time—I won't stick to the plan."
With a probing movement from his triple-threat stance, Inoue created a small bit of space. Then came a simple yet sharp crossover. Although it was just a basic move, Aomine's eyes narrowed at once.
He's coming.
That deceptively 'simple' offensive move from Inoue Tomoya!
Swoosh!
The speed...
It was exactly what Aomine expected.
Ever since their pickup game at the sandlot court, a lot of time had passed. There was no way Inoue hadn't improved.
In fact, from the way he defended earlier, it was already clear—he was significantly faster than before. Aomine still had the upper hand, but he couldn't afford to be careless. He had to stay sharp.
However...
A strange thought flickered in Aomine's mind.
After being drilled relentlessly—whether voluntarily or not, by Shigure-senpai in practice, and after witnessing that terrifying speed countless times, Aomine's own defense against speedsters had evolved drastically.
To be honest...
Aside from Captain Nijimura
Hmm...
Maybe Fukaya-senpai too
No one else could really match him now.
And then
As expected...
Inoue's speed wasn't like his. It was a different kind of "fast"—his breathing perfectly matched his rhythm. During the crossover, there was a clear trace of Nijimura's body-control techniques. With a brief yet sharp body clash, he created the tiniest sliver of space, pulled back, stopped on a dime, leaped, and launched the shot without hesitation!
His fingertips gently released the ball—his form was excellent, a seamless blend of dribbling and shooting technique!
Simple. Swift.
A fluid combo executed to perfection.
There was hardly any wasted motion.
Yet
Before Inoue could enjoy the moment, Aomine Daiki's eyes burned, locked on the ball. His reaction time was unbelievably fast—faster than logic should allow.
He caught up instantly!
Then
Smack!
His fingers grazed the ball!
They both landed and turned to look.
Clang!
Clang!
The ball wobbled slightly after making contact with the inner side of the rim, bounced left and right, and then—just barely—fell in.
Inoue Tomoya: …
Aomine Daiki: So close. Next shot...
On the other side
Under the basket, Shigure Akito watched Inoue's solid technique with both admiration and a touch of regret.
He marveled at how such a "normal" playstyle could go toe-to-toe with Aomine. It was rare.
But regrettably... someone with this "ordinary" rhythm couldn't compete with the monsters of the Generation of Miracles. By their second year, he'd likely be completely outclassed.
Shigure shook his head.
Tsk.
What a shame.
At the same time
On Teiko's bench
Coach Shirogane Kōzō's eyes gleamed with admiration as he looked at Inoue Tomoya.
"A rare sight, a playstyle that focuses on honing the fundamentals," he said.
"Kamizaki Junior High has found a real gem. Especially someone who's clearly spent years grinding the basics to this level."
"Completely different from Aomine's style. Like night and day."
On court
Aomine Daiki, despite seeing his opponent score under tight defense, looked unexpectedly excited. His eyes lit up with unfiltered enthusiasm.
Clearly...
Compared to the other teams in the Tokyo preliminaries
This was the kind of opponent he'd been waiting for.
Shigure glanced at the giddy Aomine. Familiar with both the original timeline and the boy himself, he could already guess what was going on in Aomine's head.
Heh
Enjoy this while you can.
Because soon, these kinds of matches would be a rare luxury for you.
By second year, the skill gap between Teiko and the rest—especially with the Five Generals—would be too vast. If you wanted a challenge, you'd have to look inside your own team.
But with his current pace of improvement, even his own teammates would struggle to keep up with him.
What a lonely path.
Too strong for anyone below.
Not quite there for anyone above.
Eventually, only the Generation of Miracles would be left to compete among themselves.
Well...
Maybe this kid could one day challenge Nijimura?
But with no outside distractions anymore, and locked in constant high-level competition with Shigure, even Shigure himself had no idea how Nijimura's growth curve might evolve now.
Just as that thought crossed Shigure's mind, Aomine caught his strange gaze. But Aomine didn't care—he was focused. With complete seriousness, he called out:
"Senpai!"
"I…"
"I've never felt this good in a game before!"
"Can I take over from here?"
"I mean…"
"Like how Nijimura-senpai passes the ball to you when you get fired up... I wanna do that too..."
Shigure Akito: "...?"
You little punk.
Are you calling me a ball hog when I'm hyped?
Shigure turned to the sidelines, glanced at Aomine, and pointed. On cue, Nijimura stood up and whispered something to Coach Shirogane, who smiled and nodded.
Turning back, Shigure asked,
"You think you can take him down in half a quarter?"
"I mean..."
Before Shigure could even finish the sentence, Aomine was already nodding rapidly.
"More than enough!"
"Senpai!"
"I'll crush him in half a quarter!"
With that
Aomine immediately dashed back to the frontcourt.
Halfway there, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and gave Shigure a big thumbs-up.
"Senpai, you're the best!"
Shigure Akito: "…"
He looked at Aomine, who was now getting chewed out by an indignant Haizaki, and burst out laughing.
This guy...
So naive. He didn't even realize that the entire first quarter's strategy had been focused around him. Akashi's passes had gone to him the most.
Before the match, Coach Shirogane had discussed it with both Shigure and Akashi. The plan was to accelerate Aomine's growth, since he was clearly ahead of the other first-years.
And it wasn't just Coach Shirogane who thought this—Shigure agreed as well.
He understood one thing very clearly.
Even though Akashi had the natural edge as point guard and got the starter number
In the original story, the true first-year starter was Aomine Daiki. Among Teiko's first years, his talent shone through the fastest.
But compared to Coach Shirogane
Shigure could see farther.
He knew that even if Aomine was now accelerating the realization of his potential, his true growth spurt wouldn't arrive until the National Middle School Tournament next year.
Compared to that version of Aomine
To be honest…
The current Aomine was still miles behind.
It wasn't just about skill. It was about body and talent igniting together. That kind of explosion couldn't be reached just by grinding through his first-year tournament.
Coming back to the present
Aomine Daiki's offense had begun.
"You're strong, Inoue Tomoya."
Inoue raised an eyebrow at Aomine's compliment. Always the serious type, his expression suddenly shifted as he replied:
"I'm well aware."
Aomine was caught off guard.
"Think I'm arrogant?"
"I learned it from you."
"You promised Shigure-senpai you'd beat me in half a quarter…"
"Well, I'm not losing to you."
"Aomine."
Aomine continued dribbling, weaving past pressure, and responded with a sheepish grin:
"So you heard that, huh…"
"But…"
"I meant it. I really think half a quarter is enough."
"Inoue Tomoya"
BAM!
A strong body check at the edge of a foul, Inoue bumped Aomine hard.
"Come on then!" he shouted, fire in his eyes.
"I told you—I'm not losing to you!"
End of chapter...
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