Ryota Kise caught the pass and immediately launched into an attack.
He drove right with a between-the-legs dribble past Shogo Haizaki, then instantly stepped back to the perimeter and rose for a jump shot.
Seeing the familiar motion, Shogo Haizaki sneered.
He planted his right foot, lunged forward, and leapt high into the air, completely sealing off Kise's shooting lane.
Kise's expression changed the moment he saw it in midair.
'How is this possible?! He kept up that fast?!'
Smack!
Haizaki slapped the ball clean out of Kise's hands.
"You're thinking way too naively!"
The ball flew straight out of bounds.
"Beep! Out of bounds! Kaijō ball!"
Ryota Kise stood frozen in place, gasping heavily, looking utterly disheveled.
Shogo Haizaki casually wiped the sweat from his face with his jersey and stepped up beside Kise, ready to defend again.
Play resumed. Kaijō inbounded the ball.
Kise immediately broke free, caught the pass, and held the ball tightly as he stared straight at Haizaki, his mind racing.
[Copying] Haizaki's recent moves was impossible.
Haizaki knew every move he had used lately far too well—there was no way he would let Kise score so easily.
The only option left was to catch him off guard.
Kise took a deep breath, suddenly lunged forward, then exploded sideways and rose into a jump shot.
The initial burst threw Haizaki off balance, forcing him to shift his weight back a step.
Only after Kise moved laterally did Haizaki react.
He lunged forward immediately, but it was already too late.
The ball left Kise's hands, tracing a beautiful arc through the air before dropping cleanly through the net.
After scoring, Kise's breathing grew even heavier.
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Yukio Kasamatsu noticed and felt a bitter knot form in his chest.
They were the seniors. By all rights, the pressure of scoring should have been theirs to bear.
And yet—
All of it was now resting on a first-year. On their junior.
The thought left Kasamatsu with a lingering sense of guilt.
Possession switched.
Shogo Haizaki received a pass from Makoto Hanamiya and looked at the heavily panting Kise.
"Kise, how much longer do you think you can last like this?"
Kise replied between gasps,
"Huff… huff… I'll last until you're off the court."
Haizaki's lips curled upward.
"Oh?"
"Then let me see how strong your resolve really is."
As he spoke, Haizaki began pounding the ball hard with his right hand. Each bounce slammed into the floor with a thunderous sound.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Kise's pupils shrank.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
This was a move he could never forget.
The very move that had blown past him three times in a row back in middle school.
"Lightning… Dribble…"
Kise murmured.
Thud! Thud!! Thud!!! Thud!!!! Thud!!!!!
Haizaki's dribbling grew heavier and heavier, the sound echoing louder with every bounce.
In the stands.
On Shūtoku's side.
Kazunari Takao covered his ears.
"What the heck is that? Why is it so loud?!"
Shintaro Midorima's expression darkened slightly.
"Lightning Dribble… Haizaki, you've even mastered that now?"
On Seirin's side.
"Lightning Dribble?! That's Haizaki's move?!"
Shinji Koganei exclaimed.
Tetsuya Kuroko shook his head.
"No. Lightning Dribble belongs to Kotaro Hayama, one of the Uncrowned Kings."
Koganei froze.
"Wait—does that mean Haizaki can even [Pillage] their techniques?"
Kuroko stared at the court and murmured,
"I didn't know whether Haizaki-kun could [Pillage] their moves either… but it looks like he already has."
On the court.
Haizaki's dribbling power surged to its peak. He suddenly burst into laughter and shouted,
"Five Fingers!"
Crack!
In an instant, Shogo Haizaki became a gray streak of lightning, blasting past Kise's right side.
By the time Kise and the rest of Kaijō reacted, the ball was already through the hoop.
Yukio Kasamatsu swallowed hard.
'A monster…'
The entire Kaijō team was stunned, frozen in place by the sudden play.
Kise clenched his teeth and shouted,
"Ball!"
Kōji Kobori snapped out of it and immediately passed to Kise.
After receiving the ball, Kise advanced slowly into the frontcourt.
He faced Haizaki, took a deep breath, and steadied himself.
'I… want to win.'
When he opened his eyes again, Kise began dribbling with full force.
The ball slammed into the floor once more, producing a deep, heavy sound.
Thud! Thud!! Thud!!! Thud!!!! Thud!!!!!
In the stands, Taiga Kagami's eyes widened.
Could it be…?
On the court.
"Five Fingers!!!"
Kise roared, all five fingers driving powerfully into the ball.
He whipped the dribble hard to his left hand, and his body instantly turned into a yellow bolt of lightning, charging straight toward Kirisaki Daiichi's interior.
But the moment Kise began that heavy dribble, Haizaki was already on guard.
He accelerated instantly, cutting off Kise's path.
Seeing Haizaki keep up, Kise bit down hard.
Refusing to let the chance slip away, he unleashed [Lightning Dribble] again.
"Ahhh!!! Five Fingers!!!"
Crack!
Once more, Kise became a yellow flash of lightning.
With a sharp change of direction in mid-stride, he blew past Haizaki.
Haizaki's face twisted in shock.
"H-how is that possible?!"
After breaking through, Kise leapt high into the air.
"Ahhh!!!"
BANG!!!
With a roar, Kise brought the ball down with his right hand like a battle axe, slamming it through the hoop.
The arena fell silent for a brief moment—then erupted into cheers.
Even Taiga Kagami couldn't help but smile.
"Kise! That was beautiful!"
But amid the celebration, something unexpected happened on the court.
The instant Kise landed, he dropped to his knees.
His legs trembled violently, heavy as if filled with lead, completely unable to support him.
He clenched his teeth, trying desperately to stand.
But his legs refused to respond.
Frustrated, Kise slammed his hands against his thighs and shouted,
"Move! Move already! Ahhh!"
Yukio Kasamatsu noticed something was wrong and shouted immediately,
"Time out!"
The referee blew his whistle.
"Beep! Kaijō requests a timeout!"
...
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