"What—!?"
The crowd was left in stunned silence. No one expected the new player who came on in the second half to be this dominant.
"I didn't think that guy was this powerful!"
"Ahhhh!! Come on, brother!!"
Chika jumped out of her seat, waving her arms wildly. In the stands, Mito and the others joined in, shouting encouragement.
"Okay, Oliver! Fast break, fast break!"
The Shohoku bench players leapt to their feet, shouting support.
On the court, Oliver dashed toward the basket like a streak of lightning. Just as quickly, Sendoh, trailing closely behind, suddenly materialized in front of him.
"Tsk...! Sendoh..."
Seeing Sendoh catch up triggered a wave of tension in the audience. Memories of Sendoh's earlier brilliant steals had left everyone wary. Now, all eyes were on Oliver.
But Oliver didn't hesitate. Upon seeing Sendoh's defense, he maintained his momentum and drove forward, seemingly about to go for a layup.
"Haha! Oliver, you're still just a freshman! You lack the experience to make this kind of call!"
Coach Taoka from Ryonan leapt to his feet, clenching his fists with excitement.
"No matter how fast you are under the basket, it doesn't matter here. This is a battle of strength and stamina!"
With Sendoh defending tightly in front and Uozumi—towering at over two meters—rushing over, it looked like Oliver was making a rookie mistake by forcing the layup.
But… was that really the case?
Oliver's true experience might have exceeded everyone on the court combined.
"It's working just as I hoped..."
A small smile tugged at Oliver's lips. In one swift move, he flicked his right hand backward. The basketball, spinning with immense force, shot out behind him with pinpoint accuracy.
"Eh!?"
The ball flew straight toward Sakuragi.
"Oh!! You're passing to this genius already?!"
Sakuragi beamed, arms outstretched to catch what he assumed was his moment of glory.
But then—unexpectedly—the ball took a strange arc through the air, sailing right under Sakuragi's legs with perfect spin. The ball's rotation redirected it the instant it kissed the floor, flying off toward the opposite side.
Its destination? Kaede Rukawa, who had just sprinted into an open lane.
"???"
Sakuragi froze, a look of complete confusion written across his face.
"What!?"
The entire gymnasium gasped. Coach Taoka's jaw dropped in disbelief. Just moments ago, he had declared Oliver's decision-making immature. Now, he was being completely outplayed.
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"Un… unbelievable—!!"
Hikoichi on the Ryonan bench screamed with excitement, frantically scribbling notes into his ever-present notebook.
"That pass was insane! Did he just break physics!?"
"Oh my god, Nakamura! Did you see that pass Oliver just made!?"
From the second-floor press box, the "Weekly Basketball" duo were beside themselves. Aida Yayoi smacked Nakamura on the back as he scrambled to adjust the camera, zooming in on Oliver.
"I've been in this business for years, and I've never seen a pass like that—never!"
Yayoi gripped the railing tightly, still in shock.
Oliver's speed had already impressed her. But this pass? It made her nervous. She specialized in basketball reporting. She'd seen prodigies, miracle plays, and buzzer-beaters—but this?
A player who could both score and organize like a world-class point guard? That was frightening.
"…Hmm?"
Suddenly, she noticed the flash of several cameras near her. Reporters from other magazines were also capturing shots of Oliver, whispering among themselves.
"Are those guys… planning to approach Oliver for interviews too?"
Her expression darkened as she bit her lower lip.
"I won't let you steal the first interview with Oliver! I know him personally. After this game ends, I'm getting that interview before any of you!"
"But… maybe they're not planning—"
Nakamura tried to interject, but stopped when he saw the dangerous glint in Yayoi's eyes.
"What do you know!? This is reporter's instinct! Nakamura, you still have a lot to learn—just keep recording!"
"Y-Yes..."
On the court, Kaede Rukawa blinked in surprise as the ball spun right into his path. But he immediately snapped back to reality, grabbed it, and rose for the shot.
"…Tsk!!"
Sendoh had just landed from his own jump, unable to recover in time.
"Don't think you'll get that shot off so easily!"
Just as Yuzumi leapt forward to block the ball, Akagi surged across the key, planting himself directly in Yuzumi's path.
"Argh… Akagi!!"
Yuzumi growled in frustration.
Akagi simply smiled. "Now, let's show them what Shohoku is really made of."
The shot was clean. The ball traced a smooth arc through the air.
Swish!
Nothing but net.
Shohoku had scored the first basket of the second half!
"Nice one!!"
"Beautiful play!!"
The Shohoku players erupted in cheers, high-fiving and celebrating the seamless teamwork.
Kaede Rukawa gave Oliver a look—quiet, intense, but clearly filled with respect.
"Hey! Oliver, what was that all about?!"
Sakuragi roared angrily, shaking a fist at Oliver.
"I thought you promised to pass the ball to me! Why'd you give it to that fox-faced guy Rukawa?!"
When did I ever promise you that?
Oliver rolled his eyes and smiled faintly as he glanced at the scoreboard. Their lead was growing.
The "Shining Star" and "Magic Pass" strategy was working perfectly.
There was a reason Oliver had attacked alone up to that point. Sitting on the bench during the first half, he had carefully studied Ryonan's playstyle.
He noticed that Ryonan's offense was entirely controlled by Sendoh. The team's rhythm, positioning, and ball movement all depended on him. And Ryonan's defense? Purely man-to-man.
Uozumi guarded Akagi.
Ikegami shadowed Rukawa.
Uekusa and Koshino kept a close eye on Yasuda and Shiozaki.
It wasn't some revolutionary defensive scheme—but it was solid.
However, Oliver's unique presence on the court disrupted that balance. Equipped with the skill "Shining Star," he naturally drew attention. And with his solo-attacking style, defenders were forced to collapse on him.
This opened up tremendous space for his teammates.
Take the play just now as an example: the pass to Kaede Rukawa—completely unguarded. A simple result of defenders gravitating toward Oliver.
"This guy…"
Sendoh smirked. He had always longed for a worthy opponent. Today, he had finally found one.
"Nice pass, Oliver! Let's keep this up!" he called across the court.
Oliver laughed with Akagi and the others. This was the kind of battle he lived for.
"Hahaha, you'd better score again if you want to keep up!"
Sendoh licked his lips, excitement glimmering in his eyes.
For the first time in a long while—he felt truly alive.
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