Score: 6–0.
Even Coach Matsumoto Yukinori found himself stunned as he glanced at the scoreboard in the distance.
Sure, he was the one who came up with this selection match format, but this scoreline? That was definitely not something he anticipated.
"Uh... this is getting a bit troublesome," he muttered.
"Agreed," Kitayama Yuzuki nodded, then added, "I knew Akashi-kun would be strong on the boards, but I didn't expect Iwamura-senpai to lose out to him in terms of raw strength."
Seiho High School, one of the Three Kings of Tokyo, had two central pillars on its team.
One was Kasuga Ryuhei, the point guard who had been recruited in the spring. He served as the team's floor general, and in terms of skill, was easily among the best in the nation.
The other core member was their captain and center, Tsutomu Iwamura.
Standing at 187 cm, Iwamura might be considered a decent height for a regular high school center. But on a national level, he was undeniably undersized.
And yet, he was still ranked as one of the top-tier centers in Japan's basketball monthly, thanks to one standout trait: raw power.
Despite being only 187 cm tall, Iwamura weighed an impressive 87 kg. His sheer mass gave him a huge edge when boxing out under the basket. Even with the height disadvantage, good positioning and strength made him a rebounding powerhouse.
And yet, in his recent clash with Akashi Asuka…
That strength had counted for nothing.
No, to be precise,
Iwamura had been utterly steamrolled.
"Weird… Akashi-kun doesn't even look that built," Kitayama remarked with a puzzled expression.
"That's not something you judge by appearance," Coach Matsumoto said, shaking his head. "That kid's muscle quality is insanely high. He might not look like a tank, but his body's made almost entirely of high-grade muscle. That's how he manages to be both strong and agile with that kind of build."
"Building a physique like that is no joke. Just by looking, I'd say his weight has to be at least 100 kg…"
He scratched his head, frustration creeping into his voice.
"Seriously… are we sure this kid isn't part of the Generation of Miracles?"
Kitayama adjusted his glasses and flipped through his documents.
"He's not. According to my research, both Akashi Asuka and Tsugawa Tomoki came from Kaijo Junior High. They made it to Nationals once in Junior High, but got completely blown out by Teiko in the quarterfinals. The final score gap was nearly double."
"In other words, both of them were crushed by the Generation of Miracles."
"You're joking, right? If these two were beaten that badly, just how insane was the Generation of Miracles?"
Coach Matsumoto's eyes went wide. This time, he was genuinely shocked.
At that moment, he began to question whether he was falling behind the times. Even back when he was part of the national team, seeing a freshman with this level of skill was rare, elite level rare.
And yet this same elite-level freshman had been crushed by a Junior High team?
"They're not even human, are they?" he muttered.
Thankfully, Kitayama chimed in quickly.
"Funny you mention that. I looked into it out of curiosity before… and found some pretty interesting things."
============
Thud-thud-thud,
Back on the court, the black team initiated another offensive play.
Kasuga Ryuhei dribbled up past the three-point line and tossed the ball to their power forward, Omuro Yoshikasu. A freshman rushed up to defend, but Yoshikasu powered right through him and drove into the paint.
"Damn, he's too strong. I can't stop him."
That freshman's eyes widened. Maybe it was because of Akashi's earlier two consecutive stops under the basket, it had sparked some irrational confidence among the rookies. Enough to make them think they could go toe-to-toe with the black team.
But idealism was no match for reality.
While Tsugawa Tomoki and Akashi Asuka could shut down these powerhouse players, the moment someone else tried, they got bulldozed, no finesse required.
"We're totally outmatched physically. What's with these guys' muscles?!"
In fact, this might be one of Seiho's trademarks.
Every player on their main lineup was incredibly well-built. Muscles defined every position from center to shooting guard. The only distinction was between strong and even stronger.
Maybe that's also why most of Seiho's main roster looked a bit older than your average high schooler.
Kasuga, the only one who looked remotely like an actual teenager, was still sporting a physique far beyond the norm.
"Omuro, pass it to me. I'm going to teach those cocky freshmen a lesson."
Under the basket, Iwamura raised his hand, calling for the ball.
Omuro had been setting up for a mid-range jumper, but he didn't hesitate. He passed it inside, giving Iwamura the spotlight. Instantly, the paint turned into a one-on-one showdown between Akashi Asuka and Tsutomu Iwamura.
"Oh~! It's on, Akashi-kun versus Iwamura-senpai!"
On one side, a top-ranked national center. On the other hand, a freshman phenom is already making waves since day one.
Even the upperclassmen, and the coaches, held their breath, unable to hide their excitement.
"Huh? A mid-range shot would've had a better chance. Is Iwamura-senpai not even trying to score?" Akashi muttered. Lately, he'd noticed that hanging around Tsugawa had made his mouth way more sarcastic.
Back in the day?
He'd just swat the shot, turn, and start the break, not wasting a single word.
Iwamura grinned wide. "You've got it backward, kid. I want to score right in your face, that's the whole point!"
And just like that,
He suddenly spun left, seemingly going for a layup from that side. Akashi instinctively moved to block, but Iwamura pulled back sharply, jumped, and with both hands on the ball, went for a powerful dunk.
Akashi's face didn't even twitch. No panic. No surprise.
"Why not just accept reality, Iwamura-senpai? With your height, how are you planning to contest with me in the air?"
Iwamura had to hit his absolute vertical peak just to dunk.
Akashi? A simple hop put him directly in his path.
"Oh, I know that," Iwamura replied calmly. "That's why I'm not going for a power move…"
Despite his burly frame and rough exterior, a flash of slyness danced in his eyes.
Just as Akashi's hand was about to swat the ball,
Iwamura pulled off a reverse layup in mid-air.
Akashi's lip twitched.
"WTF?!"
What the hell was that?!
Since when could high schoolers just casually pull off aerial reverses like that?
Back when they played Teiko, the Generation of Miracles all pulled off those moves. Akashi had accepted that they were broken.
But this guy?! A muscle-bound center built like a truck?!
Iwamura's reverse cleared Akashi's block and was on its way to the hoop, until a massive hand came flying in and swatted it clean.
THWAP!
BOUNCE. BOUNCE. BOUNCE,
The sound of the ball hitting the hardwood echoed through the gym, sharp and jarring.
Coach Matsumoto stared, jaw hanging open.
Even he hadn't expected Akashi to block that shot.
"This guy's reflexes… is his nervous system made of rockets?! That reaction time is inhuman!"
==========
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