The final buzzer rang out.
Teiko Middle School vs. Shōei Middle School.
Final Score:
145–33.
In the second half, once Shigure Akihito activated his "Green Light", he once again stationed himself near the free-throw line. With the Green Light's speed and the replicated defense of Shinichi Maki's Close-Up Block, he simulated a full-court-wide zone defense.
Add in Nijimura Shuzo's real-time court awareness, timely steals, and his knack for cutting off passing lanes
At the middle school level…
The results were the same as the first match.
Unstoppable.
They only allowed the opponent to score six points in the entire second half.
During the customary post-game handshake, the team from Teiko could clearly feel the palpable relief radiating from every single Shōei player. Their expressions had visibly relaxed.
Except when they came face to face with Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo, then, the entire team wore stiff, awkward looks.
On the way back to school after the match
The third-year regulars were as composed as ever, but the first-years looked... strange. There wasn't a trace of the exhilaration you'd expect after winning a game.
Especially Haizaki Shōgo, who had shared court time with Shigure and Nijimura in the second half.
"Tch!"
"Too weak!"
Damn it!
He hadn't even gotten a chance to do anything. After those two monsters steamrolled the opponents, it was like playing against a bunch of wooden puppets. Technically, it was a win, but emotionally, he felt nothing.
Beside him
Even Aomine Daiki, for once, didn't pick a fight with Haizaki. Instead, he nodded and said, "I felt the same way during the first match. But... when we beat Heishi Middle, I still got fired up at the end."
"…It's weird."
Aomine dribbled absentmindedly, murmuring to himself.
Midorima Shintarō glanced at him and added, "The difference lies in a player's pride. Even though the scores were similar, Shōei was leagues below Heishi in terms of skill and spirit."
At that
Murasakibara Atsushi furrowed his brows slightly.
Pride...
Mido-chin...
Did he overhear that conversation between me and that gloomy upperclassman?
Normally indifferent to such things, Murasakibara couldn't help but feel an unfamiliar twinge of discomfort in his chest.
On the other side of the bus
Akashi Seijūrō's eyes lingered on Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo. He looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated. Midorima noticed and shot him a questioning glance.
But in the end, Akashi only gave a slight shake of his head.
He couldn't understand why, even against such weak opponents, those two upperclassmen would still go all out. Especially Shigure-senpai, unlike the composed Nijimura, his excitement was written all over his face.
Akashi didn't fully grasp it yet, but he had a hunch: the true top-tier players in middle school didn't just differ in physical skill and basketball IQ. There was a fundamental gap in mentality between the upperclassmen and them, the first-years.
That question
He decided to make it the focus of his research into becoming the strongest.
Noticing the strange atmosphere among the first-years, Nijimura said nothing. But Shigure spoke up with a grin:
"Come on now, this was only the first and second rounds."
"We're Teiko, the strongest team in the nation. It's tough to find real competition in the Tokyo district alone."
"But if you're craving stronger opponents, wait till the qualifiers are over. On the national stage, you might just get what you're looking for."
"From what I know, there are at least five players out there with real skill."
"Of course... I mean for you guys"
"That said, "
"Why the long faces?"
"I saw you all having a blast in the first half with that back-and-forth action, didn't I?"
Aomine: Five of them?
Akashi: So he does know the opponents are weak... and chooses to play hard anyway.
Midorima: What does he mean by 'back-and-forth'?
Haizaki: 'For you guys'?? Who's he looking down on?! I could beat anyone else besides those two freaks!
Murasakibara: Pride…
Just like Shigure said, after the second round, it was clear:
In the Tokyo District, Teiko had no equal.
Take, for example, last year's post-Nationals Top Ten Schools Tournament. As a regional event, Teiko's dominance was so overwhelming that they began imposing self-limitations just to make things remotely challenging.
Last year's rule?
"All first-years only."
So...
Third Round: 135–40.
Fourth Round: 147–43.
Teiko bulldozed its way through each match with ridiculously lopsided scores, maintaining a formula:
First half: 1 regular + 4 bench players → ~60–30 lead
Second half: 4 regulars + 1 bench player → ~70+ to single digits
And so...
They charged all the way to the Tokyo District Round-Robin Finals.
Late July.
Final Match:
Teiko Middle School vs. Kamizaki Middle School.
Kamizaki was supposed to be a team that could at least hold its own against Teiko, especially in the first half.
But,
That was only true...
If the "1" in Teiko's 1-vs-4 rotation hadn't been Shigure Akihito.
Midway through the first quarter,
Score: 20–10.
As per Teiko's rotation plan of first-year-led halves, Shigure didn't set up his usual free-throw-line zone defense.
Instead, he took over Murasakibara Atsushi's role.
He was now playing center.
From the backcourt all the way to the paint.
At Coach's instruction, Shigure hunkered down in the paint to guard the key for the underclassmen.
Thus,
Kamizaki Middle School, a genuinely decent team, became the first in all of Tokyo District to score double digits in the opening 5 minutes against Teiko.
Ten points.
At that moment,
Kamizaki's possession. Their point guard brought the ball upcourt.
He knew the situation well, even without factoring in Shigure's paint presence, these Teiko first-years were tougher than expected.
As the floor general, he'd led his team undefeated to this final. He was composed and calculated, mentally breaking down the court.
To increase their scoring odds, they needed to get closer to the basket.
The problem,
Was Shigure Akihito.
They had to lure him out of the paint. Despite his terrifying help-defense skills, with smart screens and spacing, it should be doable.
The key was: don't bait him to the free-throw line, that's his strongest zone defense point.
Instead, pull him out to the corner. That was the ideal plan.
Kamizaki's PG signaled inside, his center came up for a screen.
After using it, the PG weaved through traffic, drawing his defender away toward the screen, successfully shaking him off.
At the same time, he noticed Shigure, who had followed the center out, shifting his focus toward him.
Perfect.
In the next instant, he passed into the paint, where only the power forward remained unmarked.
And yet,
Kamizaki PG: "…!?"
Why is it still Shigure Akihito?!
He was sure he'd pulled Shigure out. He'd tracked his position and used his body as a shield, but when did Shigure rotate back?!
Inside,
Kamizaki's power forward vs. Shigure Akihito.
Just seconds earlier, Shigure had activated Green Light and combined it with Tomokazu Godai's Full-Speed Burst. In an instant, he'd recovered from defending the corner to being back in the paint.
"Don't even think about it," Shigure said coolly.
"If I say I'm protecting the paint for the underclassmen, then I protect the paint."
A 1v1 in the paint.
Only the power forward was facing off against the one opponent everyone in Tokyo District feared, Shigure Akihito.
But Kamizaki was no ordinary team.
They had made it to the finals unbeaten.
Their mindset was different.
The power forward held the ball with his back to the basket, cautiously probing with his hips.
He could feel it, his instincts screamed danger. The player behind him was a threat on every level.
Still…
He couldn't resist glancing back,
#5.
Roughly 185cm.
Still bore a touch of youthful inexperience, but,
That one glance, and it felt like he was being hunted by a beast.
But even with that overwhelming presence,
He had to try.
If they couldn't break through the paint, they had no chance from the perimeter.
He was 188cm, a 3cm height advantage.
He had to ground Shigure, stop him from jumping!
Thud!
He backed down hard.
Surprisingly, the force behind him wasn't as overwhelming as expected. He could feel it, Shigure had been forced back half a step!
There's a chance!
Could it be that Shigure's strength was a weakness?
That would make sense. Despite his freakish athleticism, Shigure was technically a shooting guard. Static strength matchups should favor him, the power forward.
He spun left with a fake, baiting Shigure's attention, then pivoted right and went up for a powerful dunk!
Smooth.
Clean.
He soared through the air toward the rim.
Then, his expression twisted.
Thud!
A terrifying force slammed into him.
He could've sworn he heard a beast's roar echoing in his ears. His face went pale. Cold sweat formed instantly.
Before him,
A mammoth bared its fangs!
His instincts kicked in,
But before he could react,
A shadow engulfed him.
Thud!
BLOCKED!
Snatched mid-air,
One-handed block-and-catch.
End of chapter...
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