The ball was passed to Teppei Kiyoshi.
With his back to the basket, Teppei Kiyoshi leaned into Eikichi Nebuya and put a little force into it.
But the moment he did, Teppei Kiyoshi sensed something was wrong.
Eikichi Nebuya's strength was enormous.
Teppei Kiyoshi could not move him at all.
Even with his whole body pressed against Eikichi Nebuya, he still could not gain the upper hand.
Feeling the strength coming from Teppei Kiyoshi's body, Eikichi Nebuya immediately grinned.
"Kiyoshi, my strength is pretty solid, right?"
Teppei Kiyoshi gritted his teeth and said nothing.
Eikichi Nebuya continued, "I still remember what you said to me back then!"
Eikichi Nebuya slowly recalled the past.
Back in middle school.
Eikichi Nebuya's school had played a match against Teppei Kiyoshi's school.
In that match, Eikichi Nebuya had been completely beaten by Teppei Kiyoshi.
After it ended, Teppei Kiyoshi had said one thing to him.
[Basketball cannot be played with strength alone.]
Eikichi Nebuya had always remembered those words.
He was rebellious by nature. The more Teppei Kiyoshi said something like that, the more determined he became to train his strength.
From that moment on, Eikichi Nebuya had already made up his mind to build up his power.
But Teppei Kiyoshi's words alone were not enough to make him this obsessed with strength.
The real reason Eikichi Nebuya became so fixated on power was because of something Miyamoto Tokima had said.
That one line from Miyamoto Tokima.
[Overwhelming force can break through anything. As long as you're strong enough, no one can stop you.]
Those words completely enlightened Eikichi Nebuya.
They were what made him obsessed with strength.
Back in the present.
Eikichi Nebuya easily held off Teppei Kiyoshi's post-up, feeling deeply moved.
'Master would definitely be pleased if he saw me now.'
At that moment, Miyamoto Tokima was quietly watching from the sidelines.
When he saw the musclebound Eikichi Nebuya on the court, Miyamoto Tokima could not help feeling confused.
'I remember giving him advice back in middle school. Didn't I tell him to add technique while maintaining his strength?'
'Why are his muscles even bigger than in the original? And where's the technique? Where did the technique go? Did he eat it?'
Miyamoto Tokima was completely baffled.
He clearly remembered advising Eikichi Nebuya back in middle school.
At the time, he had guided Eikichi Nebuya because he wanted to stop him from becoming the same reckless brute he was in the original.
At the very least, he had wanted him to develop some technique, so his future path in basketball would be a little smoother.
But where was the technique in Eikichi Nebuya now? It was all fucking brute force!
Wasn't this even more reckless than the original?!
In the end, Miyamoto Tokima could only sigh to himself.
'He really didn't listen.'
...
On the court.
After realizing that he could not score through strength alone, Teppei Kiyoshi immediately changed his approach.
Teppei Kiyoshi suddenly turned to face the basket and moved as if he was about to shoot.
Seeing that, Eikichi Nebuya immediately followed, shifting his center of gravity.
Teppei Kiyoshi then turned again, positioning himself sideways to the basket. His off hand rose to protect the ball, while his other hand moved into a hook shot.
Eikichi Nebuya was instantly stunned.
From where he was standing, there was no way he could block Teppei Kiyoshi's hook shot.
Teppei Kiyoshi's hook shot went in cleanly.
Swish!
Two points.
After the ball went in, Eikichi Nebuya muttered disdainfully, "Tch, no power at all."
Then he obediently ran to the outside to inbound the ball.
Possession changed.
Seijuro Akashi slowly brought the ball into the frontcourt, his eyes sweeping across the entire court.
Shun Izuki's expression was extremely serious as he stared fixedly at Seijuro Akashi, silently calculating the timing in his head.
Suddenly, Seijuro Akashi spoke.
"Who gave you the confidence to think you could predict and steal my pass?"
Shun Izuki was startled, and his eyes met Seijuro Akashi's.
In that instant, Shun Izuki was frightened by Seijuro Akashi's sharp, indifferent gaze, and his entire body went stiff.
Seijuro Akashi slowly dribbled the basketball and said coldly, "People should know their place. The weak should do what only the weak can do."
"You have crossed the line."
As soon as he finished speaking, the pressure radiating from Seijuro Akashi grew even stronger, making Shun Izuki's heart tremble.
In the next second, Seijuro Akashi quickly dribbled the ball several times.
Then...
Bang!
Shun Izuki instantly lost his balance and collapsed onto the floor, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Taiga Kagami's mouth fell open, and he said in shock, "How is that possible? It's completely different from Kise's!"
Junpei Hyuga also froze in place, unable to speak for a long time.
Seijuro Akashi looked down at Shun Izuki coldly from above and said, "The weak should speak while sitting down."
With that, Seijuro Akashi casually shot the ball, then turned and walked away.
Swish!
The basketball sank cleanly through the hoop with a crisp sound.
Off the court.
Shintaro Midorima's expression changed, and he murmured, "It's begun..."
...
On the court.
Junpei Hyuga and Tatsuya Himuro pulled Shun Izuki to his feet.
When Shun Izuki stood up, his expression was still somewhat stiff.
He had clearly been shaken by what had just happened.
Seeing this, Junpei Hyuga patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's okay, Izuki. Just get them back with the next one!"
Shun Izuki took a deep breath, quickly adjusted his emotions, then went to receive the ball.
Possession changed.
Seirin's ball.
After Shun Izuki reached the frontcourt, he felt the icy aura surrounding Seijuro Akashi.
Shun Izuki frowned and murmured, "He really is terrifying."
Shun Izuki knew there was no way he could beat Seijuro Akashi one-on-one.
So he called Tatsuya Himuro over for a pick-and-roll, shook off Seijuro Akashi, and passed the ball to Taiga Kagami.
Taiga Kagami caught the ball and immediately launched a fierce attack.
There was no one in front of him. He was completely wide open.
Taiga Kagami drove hard into the paint with the ball, then leaped from long range.
Seeing that, Eikichi Nebuya immediately rushed over, grinning as he shouted, "Not a chance!"
Eikichi Nebuya raised both hands high, but soon, he froze.
Because Taiga Kagami kept rising higher and higher, until his head was level with the rim.
Then...
Taiga Kagami violently slammed the basketball down.
Bang!
Like a meteor, the basketball was hammered into the hoop by Taiga Kagami.
[Meteor Jam]!
...