Opening Scene — Tokyo Dome Arena, 3rd Quarter Begins
Score: Raijin 57 – Tokyo International 49
Maxwell, Knight, and Hunter huddle briefly before walking back onto the court. The air is humid. Tension dances like static before a storm.
Narrator (calm but tight):
> "Sometimes, we rise to rewrite the past.
Other times… we rise just to break more beautifully."
---
Scene — Rai vs Maxwell: One-on-One Hell
Rai Akamine begins targeting Maxwell relentlessly. He doesn't talk trash — his silence is louder than any words. His movements are clean, cruel, surgical.
Step-back three.
Blow-by crossover.
No-look pass that ends in a dunk.
Crowd chants: "RAI-JIN! RAI-JIN!"
Maxwell tries to counter — but every time he drives, Rai is already there.
---
Scene — Tokyo Bench
Coach Rintaro stands, eyes sharp.
Coach (commanding):
> "Switch the rhythm. Knight—lead offense. Max, ghost him."
Knight nods. Takes over. He dances around the arc, pulling two defenders with a fake.
Kick to Hunter — slam dunk!
---
Scene — Knight Awakens
Knight now slows the game. He probes, passes, repositions.
He starts drawing Rai into traps.
One possession:
Knight → fake drive → alley-oop fake → no-look dish to Maxwell.
Maxwell finally lands a mid-range jumper.
The bench erupts.
---
Cut Scene — Rai's Flashback (Age 13)
Young Rai, standing in a gym, crying silently as Maxwell walks away post-defeat.
A coach walks over.
Coach:
> "You'll never catch him by following."
"Become the road he has to take… and break it."
Young Rai clenches his fists.
---
Scene — End of 3rd Quarter
Score: 73 – 73
It's a war. Not a game. The crowd now chants both names.
Rai glances over at Maxwell — finally, he speaks.
Rai (whisper):
> "You've improved.
But I didn't come here to test you…"
Maxwell steps closer, sweat dripping, eyes locked in.
Maxwell:
> "Then why are you here?"
Rai:
> "…To end you."
---
Final Scene — 4th Quarter Begins
Maxwell rallies the team.
Maxwell (firm):
> "We don't win this with anger. We win this by becoming more than what we were."
Knight bumps fists with him.
Knight:
> "Let's light it up."
Hunter grabs the inbound.
Hunter (shouting):
> "Let's make this thunderstorm OURS!"
—
Narrator:
> "The court is no longer wood and paint.
It is history. Memory. Identity.
And someone will break on it…"
---
Episode Ends.
Next Episode: "Final Echo — Break the Ghost"