"Eh? Murasakibara, you're warming up seriously today! Not staying under the basket?"
"Ah!"
Murasakibara Atsushi nodded. "Coach isn't letting me stay under the basket today. And against this opponent… I'll crush him with my own hands.
Beep~~
"Players, salute!"
"Let's do our best!"
After warm-ups, Seiho and Yosen lined up and saluted, gathering near the center of the court.
"So tall!"
The Seiho players were immediately stunned.
Yosen's average height was astonishing.
Three players were over two meters tall, standing in front of Seiho like towering trees rooted deep into the ground.
"Even though we saw this in the scouting reports, seeing it in person… it's overwhelming!" Even the usually composed Tsutomu Iwamura couldn't help but feel the pressure.
"Good to see you again, Murasakibara-kun."
"Today, I'll crush you, Asuka!"
"Asuka…?"
Akashi Asuka's face showed a few black lines. What kind of nickname was that?
Beep!
"Ready!"
The referee blew the whistle. Inside the circle, Akashi and Murasakibara assumed jump positions. As the referee tossed the ball high, both leaped…
============
"Ooooh~~ it's started."
Midorima, annoyed by Kise Ryouta's chatter in the stands, immediately focused on the court.
"Who will gain the first possession… oh! Amazing! Even little Akashi can't beat little Murasakibara? Looks like Murasakibara's grown a lot recently!"
Murasakibara won the tip-off, taking the first possession advantage.
This surprised Seiho's players. Since Akashi joined Seiho, they had never seen him lose a jump ball.
"Tch! Even Akashi can't reach him? How high can that monster touch?" Kasuga Ryuhei muttered as he sprinted back to defend his basket.
"It's not about jumping higher; it's Murasakibara's physical attributes," Iwamura explained.
Murasakibara didn't win because he jumped higher, but because his arms were longer.
Akashi already had long limbs by normal proportions, but Murasakibara's arms nearly reached his knees when relaxed, a pair of true ape-arms.
Thanks to this, Murasakibara secured the first possession.
Seiho's players immediately contracted their defense inside. The perimeter wasn't entirely ignored, but little focus was given beyond the three-point line.
Yosen, like Seiho, was a defense-heavy team.
The difference was that Seiho excelled at full-court defense, steals, and breaking through defenses, while Yosen relied on their height to dominate inside and block high shots.
As for offense, Yosen wasn't weak, but like Seiho previously, they had no true shooting guard. Their strengths lay in inside penetration, both offensively and defensively.
If it were the Winter Cup, Yosen's Himuro would help with scoring, but he was still overseas.
"Hmm~ seems like they studied us well,"
Yosen's point guard Kensuke Fukui, a third-year with pale gray hair and deadfish eyes, 176 cm, the shortest on the team, spotted Seiho's formation.
He instantly noticed that Seiho had specifically targeted Yosen's setup.
"You Seiho intelligence experts are impressive, but… don't get it twisted. We're not idiots like Tōō Academy!"
Achoo~ Achoo~
At an ordinary basketball court, Aomine Daiki sneezed several times while sitting on the bench.
"Huh? Aomine, are you sick?"
"No way!"
Aomine pushed away Satsuki Momoi's hand irritably.
Momoi shrugged. "Anyway, the Seiho vs. Yosen game should be starting. I wonder who will win, Murasakibara or Akashi?"
Aomine yawned lazily. "Who knows? Physically, Murasakibara might have the best talent in the Generation of Miracles, but maybe he's met his match this time."
"Damn! This guy… I can't move him!"
Yosen's captain, Okamura Kenichi, 200 cm, a third-year originally playing center, now power forward since Murasakibara joined, still played like a center.
Three players over two meters crowded under Seiho's basket: Okamura, Murasakibara, and a 203 cm Chinese exchange student, Liu Wei.
Logically, Akashi should have the disadvantage in a three-man block.
Yet the three Yosen players under the basket didn't feel any upper hand. Okamura tried backing in for a post move, but when Akashi positioned behind him, no matter how he pushed, Akashi remained as immovable as a boulder.
"Fine, I'll attack from here."
Okamura pivoted for a step-back jump shot. Among big players, his movements were fluid.
High schoolers over two meters often have slow reactions, limited jumps, or stiff movements, but Okamura and Liu Wei were exceptions.
Still, against Akashi, his moves felt almost in slow motion.
Slap!
Akashi stepped forward and swatted Okamura's shot down effortlessly, like hitting a fly with an electric swatter.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria