Dawn broke faintly over the horizon.
The sea breeze carried a cool, briny scent as waves lapped against the shore.
A group of energetic teenage boys ran along the water's edge under the rising sun. But instead of cheerful laughter or playful banter, the air was filled only with the sound of ragged breathing and the dull thud of feet against wet sand.
A closer look would reveal the grim expressions on their faces—each one locked in silent struggle, drenched in sweat.
"Damn it!" Koganei shouted between gasps, his legs feeling like lead. Even lifting them was torture.
"So tired…"
"Hahh… hahh! Stop talking, save your breath! I can barely breathe!" Izuki Shun panted beside him, his voice strained and breath uneven.
"The sand's soft—it makes running here way harder than on a regular track. Don't talk, just focus on moving," Kiyoshi Teppei led at the front, his calm tone trying to keep the group in rhythm.
"Huff… huff… really? Then how come those guys look totally fine?"
Tsuchida Atsushi heaved for air, but before he could complain further, a flurry of footsteps rushed up behind him. His eyes widened in horror.
The next second—whoosh!
The monsters from Teiko sprinted past in a blur, effortlessly overtaking Seirin's entire team and lapping them within moments.
"What the hell!"
Watching the Generation of Miracles run past without even breaking a sweat, the Seirin members could only curse internally—What kind of monsters are these guys?!
"Huh?"
"Where's Kuroko?"
"Haahh… haahh… r-right here…"
Everyone: "..."
As expected—among the Miracles, Kuroko was the only one who seemed remotely human.
After the sand training ended, Teiko's players cooled down with a light jog to ease the lactic acid in their muscles, while Seirin's team… was flat on the ground.
They could only stare blankly at their opponents, their faces pale and drenched.
That level of endurance—was insane.
"Alright, everyone, take a short break. We'll have the joint practice match this afternoon," Riko Aida announced gently—yet her voice sounded like a curse.
Everyone: "..."
A break sounded nice, sure.
But… a joint practice match with Teiko?
Rakuzan had just recruited Nijimura Shuzo, Teiko had both Shigure Akihito and Hagioka Kasayuki, and as for Seirin… they only had Kuroko Tetsuya, Haizaki Shōgo, and two kind-hearted seniors, Kurona Shinji and Fukaya Reiji, who joined just to help them out.
The catch?
Those two could only play in the second half.
And their first opponent that afternoon—was Teiko.
The team with most of the Generation of Miracles, plus Akihito and Hagioka.
Yeah… hell was about to begin.
The short break ended before they even caught their breath.
And then—hell came knocking.
Compared to the afternoon practice match, the morning sand training now felt like heaven.
Inside the gym, the sound of sneakers squeaking echoed sharply.
When Hagioka Kasayuki stood in front of Izuki Shun, the Seirin point guard could only look up at the two-meter-tall opponent in disbelief.
He was taller.
Faster.
More agile.
Even his ball handling—was better.
No… there wasn't a single thing Izuki could outperform him in.
Even court vision.
As Hagioka advanced with smooth, measured dribbles, Izuki froze.
If Shigure Akihito was the strongest player in the country, then Hagioka—the previous "strongest in Japan" who had once stood toe-to-toe with Akihito—was the closest thing to him.
Realizing that… Izuki's mind went blank.
"How the hell… am I supposed to guard a point guard over two meters tall?!"
Meanwhile, Riko Aida's gaze swept across Teiko's lineup—Akihito from Kaijō, Aomine Daiki from the Miracles, Midorima Shintarō the sniper, and—of course—Murasakibara Atsushi at center.
And now Hagioka Kasayuki running the point?
It all made horrifying sense.
But that didn't make things any easier.
On Seirin's side, the only player who could even match Hagioka's height was Kiyoshi Teppei—and he was only 193 cm. Worse, he still had to deal with Murasakibara.
If he got pulled out to guard Hagioka at the perimeter, Seirin's paint would be completely exposed.
Who could she even sub in…?
Riko thought hard, but with Kurokami Shinji and Fukaya Reiji only allowed to play the second half, there was no one left to rely on.
And before she could even finish thinking
Hagioka was already moving.
Izuki barely had time to react before Hagioka lifted the ball effortlessly for a pull-up jumper.
He had no chance of blocking it.
"!"
Seeing this, Kiyoshi immediately stepped up from under the rim to help, sliding out to contest while still trying to guard against Murasakibara's cut.
But
Hagioka's speed exploded like the wind itself.
He didn't shoot—he passed.
The ball sliced through the air so fast even the Generation of Miracles' Five Kings on the sideline froze for a second.
Too fast.
Even they wouldn't have caught that cleanly.
"Wait—Haizaki reacted!"
"That's Hayama's lightning speed! He moved so fast to help!"
"The one catching is—Shigure Akihito!"
"Beautiful pass!"
"He actually caught that?! And even passed it right back!"
As Haizaki closed in with blistering speed, Akihito didn't go for the finish. Instead, using a motion identical to Kuroko's signature technique, he tapped the ball
Snap!
The ball curved over Haizaki's reach, flying straight toward the rim.
That was
A rainbow.
Boom!
The sound of impact echoed like thunder.
As everyone stared wide-eyed, Hagioka charged into the paint, Midorima blocked off Kiyoshi's path, clearing the lane completely.
Hagioka caught Akihito's rainbow pass midair
And slammed it home.
That was
Akihito's Rainbow Connection.
No—this time, it was Hagioka's Gale Speed combined with Akihito's Rainbow Connection.
A fusion of storm and color
Speed and artistry.
And everyone watching… forgot to breathe.
END OF CHAPTER
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