Silence…
The entire basketball gym fell into an eerie stillness once again.
Everyone stood frozen, struck speechless by Ake's words — as if a thunderbolt had just landed in the middle of the court.
Coach Taoka Moichi was completely dumbfounded. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, yet not a single sound came out.
In all his years of coaching, he had never encountered a rookie so brazen — declaring he would win the championship the moment he stepped in — and saying it with such conviction, as though victory were already guaranteed.
No one knew how to react.
Beside him, Sendoh rubbed his forehead and sighed, his expression practically saying, my heart can't take this.
Only Rukia, standing quietly at the side, had stars sparkling in her eyes as she stared at Ake with admiration.
Uozumi, on the other hand, found the newcomer unbelievably irritating — arrogant to the core. Every bone in his body wanted to put this kid in his place. But strangely, when he tried to speak, the words just wouldn't come out.
Aida Hikoichi's jaw was hanging open. His thoughts were in chaos.
"Oh my god… Who is this guy? He actually said he's going to lead Ryonan to a championship! And he looks so confident too! Where does he get that kind of confidence?"
It took everyone a while to recover from Ake's shocking declaration.
Koshino Hiroaki didn't even know how to respond — he could only glance meaningfully at Sendoh.
"You sure this guy's brain is okay?"
Ikegami Ryoji gave Sendoh the same look, his expression practically screaming:
"You didn't mention your friend was this arrogant."
Even Coach Taoka turned to Sendoh, his hesitant, slightly comical expression saying it all: You'd better be right about this one.
Under everyone's gaze, Sendoh awkwardly scratched his cheek and forced a laugh.
"Hahaha… well, since everyone's here, let's make introductions!"
He quickly pulled Ake forward and began pointing around the court.
"This is Coach Taoka Moichi — our team's coach."
"And this is our captain, Uozumi Jun."
"And over here…"
He went on introducing each member one by one.
Thanks to Sendoh's light-hearted tone and humor, the heavy atmosphere in the gym finally began to ease a little.
After a while, Coach Taoka finally spoke up.
"Alright," he said, his deep voice cutting through the air. "Since everyone's here, it's time to test the newcomers' abilities. We'll start with an intra-squad match — first-years versus upperclassmen."
As he spoke, he gave Ake a meaningful look.
He still wasn't sure what Ake was truly capable of, but for someone to boast about leading Ryonan to a championship… there had to be something behind that confidence.
The upperclassmen all turned toward Ake.
Their eyes were full of challenge — sharp, mocking, and predatory.
Each one was thinking the same thing.
Let's see how long your arrogance lasts.
We'll crush you so badly, you'll regret opening your mouth.
Their fighting spirit burned brighter than ever.
Sendoh glanced at Ake and smiled wryly. "Good luck, man."
But Ake's expression didn't change in the slightest. His face remained calm and unreadable, as if none of this mattered.
Rukia quietly stepped off the court and found a seat to watch the match begin.
Soon, both sides took their positions.
Aida Hikoichi nervously approached Ake.
"Um… hello… I'm Aida Hikoichi. Please take care of me," he said timidly.
Ake turned to look at him.
Their eyes met — and in that instant, Aida froze completely.
It felt as if electricity ran through his body from head to toe. His breath caught in his throat.
"What… what is this feeling? Why can't I move?" he thought, panic flickering in his mind.
Ake's gaze was calm, almost emotionless, yet it carried a strange, commanding pressure — one that demanded attention and respect.
"Focus on the ball," Ake said lightly.
Aida immediately straightened up. "Y-Yes!"
Sendoh crouched into a defensive stance, his eyes locked on Ake. His lips curled into a grin. "Let's see how strong you've gotten."
Ake's voice was even and composed. "As you wish."
As the tallest freshman, Ake naturally stepped up for the jump ball against Uozumi.
He didn't show even a trace of fear — instead, he exuded a quiet confidence that somehow made Uozumi feel pressured.
"This kid…" Uozumi thought, frowning. "What's with this aura? It's like he's… towering over me."
Beep!
The whistle blew.
The ball soared into the air.
Both Ake and Uozumi leaped.
Though Uozumi was a full ten centimeters taller, Ake's jump was explosive — his hand quickly reaching the same height, and then, unbelievably, surpassing it.
"What!?" Uozumi's eyes widened in disbelief.
Ake's explosive power was astonishing.
A split second later—
Slap!
Ake's palm hit the ball cleanly, sending it spinning toward Aida Hikoichi.
Aida reacted instinctively and began dribbling toward the other side of the court.
Ake landed gracefully and sprinted past Uozumi, heading straight for the opposing basket.
A/N: In the original work (both anime/manga) in Seirin vs Rakuzan Akashi did perform a dunk despite his short stature of 173 cm. He even successfully executed an alley-oop to dunk during the game and dunked over two taller players, Taiga Kagami and Teppei Kiyoshi, though this was partly due to catching them off guard, still his vertical is absolutely crazy given his height. In this world he is 185 cm / 79 kg it's not surprising to catch Uozumi off guard.
From the sidelines, Coach Taoka's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Impressive jump. His power and vertical leap are already near top-level," he thought. "It's rare to see such physical ability in a high school player."
Meanwhile, Aida dribbled quickly across half-court — but his movements were clearly inexperienced.
Before he could advance further, Koshino appeared in front of him like a wall.
Flustered, Aida's hands shook and he almost lost the ball.
He barely managed to recover and passed to a teammate — another freshman at power forward.
But that boy's dribbling was sloppy and inconsistent, and within seconds, Ikegami Ryoji easily stole the ball.
The upperclassmen immediately launched a fast break.
After a few quick passes, the ball landed in Uozumi's hands.
He drove to the hoop, jumped high, and slammed it down with a thunderous BANG!
Clang!
The basket shook violently.
Score: Freshmen 0 – 2 Upperclassmen.
Landing, Uozumi gave Ake a smug look before jogging back to defense.
From then on, the upperclassmen completely dominated.
The freshmen managed to score here and there, but the gap kept growing wider and wider.
2–9.
4–14.
8–22.
The first-years were drenched in sweat, gasping for air, completely outmatched.
"Seriously? These are this year's recruits?" Koshino said with open disdain.
Ikegami smirked. "Didn't that guy talk so big earlier? Where's all that confidence now?"
Uekusa chuckled mockingly. "Maybe he realized he's no match for us and gave up."
Uozumi frowned slightly, his voice low. "Could it be… that's all he's got?"
On the sidelines, Coach Taoka's brows were deeply furrowed.
He had been observing Ake since the start.
But Ake barely shot, barely defended aggressively — almost as if he were holding back.
"What's he doing?" the coach thought. "He has the build, the power, the jump… but no presence in the game."
Everyone was disappointed. They had expected something incredible — but all they saw was silence and restraint.
Only Sendoh remained unfazed.
He smiled faintly. "You… after a year off, don't tell me you've forgotten how to play?"
Ake smirked lightly. "No rush, Sendoh. The game's not over yet."
Koshino sneered. "You're down fourteen points. You'll only embarrass yourself further. If you can't win, just give up."
Ake didn't even glance at him.
He simply turned to his teammates and said calmly,
"Pass me the ball."