On the court.
The players from Shohoku and Meihou High School stood like two massive steel formations, ready to clash at center court.
Sharp glares clashed in midair, almost sparking on contact. Every pair of eyes burned with fierce willpower, the kind that refused to lose and nearly burst from their sockets.
Shohoku starting lineup:
Center – Akagi Takenori, number 4, 3rd year (captain)
Shooting Guard – Mitsui Hisashi, number 14, 3rd year
Power Forward – Sakuragi Hanamichi, number 10, 2nd year
Small Forward – Rukawa Kaede, number 11, 1st year
Power Forward – Aoi Kunisaku, number 9, 1st year
Meihou High School starting lineup:
Center – Morishige Hiroshi, number 15, 1st year
Point Guard – Nakayama Tenri, number 4, 3rd year (captain)
Shooting Guard – Daimon Saburou, number 5, 3rd year
Small Forward – Maeda Ryu'u, number 6, 3rd year
Power Forward – Morishima Ryoushi, number 7, 3rd year
Morishige Hiroshi and Akagi Takenori stood face-to-face, two towering figures like mountains.
But soon, Morishige Hiroshi's gaze passed over Akagi and landed on Aoi Kunisaku behind him.
With a blank expression and a dopey-looking grin, he said calmly, "Oh! You're playing today? I promised coach I'd beat you."
Everyone on Shohoku froze. They turned to stare at Morishige, shocked.
No one expected him to call out Aoi Kunisaku so bluntly right before tip-off.
Aoi Kunisaku tilted his head slightly, looked over at Morishige, and gave a confident smirk. He replied slowly, "If you think you can, go ahead and try."
Akagi Takenori kept his eyes locked on Morishige. His voice was firm and commanding.
"You want to take on our ace? You'll have to get through me first."
"Oh?" Morishige's tone stayed flat, but there was a hint of disdain in his eyes, like Akagi didn't even matter. "Then I'll beat you first."
He said it like it was a given. That arrogant attitude rubbed everyone the wrong way.
Still, even if Morishige's words were irritating, Akagi stayed composed.
He knew how important it was to stay calm in a game. So he just stood there, silently waiting for the referee to blow the whistle.
The tension on both sides tightened like a coiled spring. The air felt charged, ready to explode.
Then the referee stepped to the center, holding the basketball.
One hand balanced the ball. The other brought the whistle to his lips. His eyes scanned the players with focus.
And then—
Tweet…
The sharp, piercing sound of the whistle split the tension.
At the same time, the referee tossed the ball high into the air above center court.
Thud… thud…
Akagi Takenori and Morishige Hiroshi pushed off the hardwood with force. Their feet slammed the floor, legs coiled like springs. Both shot upward, arms whipping toward the airborne ball, muscles bulging with effort.
But the next moment left everyone on Shohoku stunned.
Morishige's powerful arm shot out like a spring-loaded piston. His massive hand snapped up like a steel claw, outpacing Akagi's reach with explosive speed. He got to the ball first—clean and fast.
"That guy… what explosive power." Akagi Takenori was startled. A flicker of shock flashed in his eyes.
He had thought his own strength and preparation would allow him to go head-to-head with Morishige Hiroshi during the jump ball. But now he realized that the opponent's explosive power far exceeded his expectations.
Their height was about the same. But when Morishige jumped, he soared way above him and reached the ball with ease.
Pa…
A crisp sound echoed above the court.
Morishige's palm slapped the ball cleanly, like it was effortless.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, the ball flew like a well-trained spirit straight into the hands of his captain, Nakayama Tenri.
Nakayama caught the ball with sharp eyes and quickly led the offense, rushing toward Shohoku's half.
Morishige took off with massive strides, thundering toward Shohoku's basket like a giant. Every step made the floor vibrate.
Akagi followed close behind. He stuck to Morishige like glue, eyes locked on him, not daring to relax for even a second.
But just as Meihou High School surged aggressively toward the basket—
Pa…
A heavy, sudden smack rang out in the air and caught everyone's attention.
All eyes turned. The ball, once in Nakayama's hands, was now gone.
And the one who had stolen it—was none other than Aoi Kunisaku, who had appeared out of nowhere.
"Damn!" Nakayama cursed in his mind, panic flashing across his face. He quickly spun around to try and stop him.
But Aoi had already turned into a blur. He launched forward like an arrow, darting straight toward Meihou's basket.
His speed was terrifying. In the blink of an eye, he widened the gap. Nakayama had no chance to recover in time.
"So fast…" Nakayama's eyes went wide. His jaw dropped. A jolt of dread spread through his whole body like an electric shock.
That flash of movement just now made the hairs on his body stand up.
Fast—way too fast.
Nakayama couldn't stop thinking about it.
Watching Aoi play from the stands before never gave him this real of a feeling. But now, experiencing it firsthand, he truly realized how insane Aoi's speed was.
The rest of Meihou's players reacted quickly and rushed to get back on defense.
But they were too far from their own half. No matter how hard they sprinted, they could only watch as Aoi, calm and focused, stormed into their paint.
He stepped into the key, jumped high, gripped the ball with both hands, and hammered down a violent Slam Dunk.
Clang—!
The ball crashed clean through the hoop. The sound rang out sharp and clear.
Shohoku scored 2 points—less than 5 seconds into the match.
Shohoku 2–0 Meihou High School.
The crowd exploded like boiling water. Cheers roared across the gym.
"That was so fast! He just dunked in the blink of an eye!"
"Aoi Kunisaku really lives up to the hype. From the steal to the basket, it's barely been 5 seconds."
"So this is Aoi Kunisaku's true strength. That's crazy!"
Everyone—from the fired-up crowd, to the reps from other schools, to the reporters around the court—was blown away by Aoi's explosive start.