This kind of speed—Haizaki Shogo only ever felt true pressure when sparring against Daiki Aomine, forcing him to go all out.
But today, facing Yosen, facing two towering players, he chose to play with speed… and with passion.
Speed and passion—come on, let's all have some fun!
When everyone saw Haizaki Shogo tear through the defense at terrifying speed and sink a three-pointer, the bench erupted. His teammates and the two girls cheered together.
Some teammates even started shouting, "Ace! Ace! Ace!"
On the coach's bench, Coach Ichiro Kudo slowly exhaled, his expression finally settling.
But inside, waves still crashed violently. Only now did Kudo realize—he had underestimated Haizaki's true strength. In Fukuda Sogo's small pond, Haizaki never had the chance during normal training to fully release his power.
It was both fortunate… and tragic. Those who understood, understood. Those who didn't—no amount of explanation would close the gap.
SMACK!
Intercepting Yosen's pass, Haizaki burst forward like lightning with the ball, blew past two defenders, and rose for a one-handed slam.
BANG!
The dunk echoed violently, hammering against Yosen's players' eardrums.
At that moment, Yosen finally realized—no matter how they defended, they couldn't stop the blood-red No. 6.
Seeing this, Yosen's coach's face twisted into the same expression Kudo once had—heavy and bitter.
In his eyes, Haizaki looked like another Miracle from Teiko Junior High.
Impossible to defend.
Impossible to suppress.
Impossible to stop.
Worse still, the team was being torn apart again and again by merciless drives and scores. It wasn't just damaging their results—it crushed confidence, even planting psychological shadows in promising players.
Sigh… what's wrong with this era?
First came the Uncrowned Kings, and now even more terrifying members of the Generation of Miracles.
On the court, Haizaki moved like a ghost.
His speed was different from Aomine's. Haizaki's was disciplined speed—fast fundamentals, rapid transitions between textbook movements. It resembled Himuro Tatsuya's style, except Himuro couldn't even begin to catch up.
Aomine's speed, on the other hand, was unpredictable—free, wild, imaginative—so fast you couldn't react, couldn't block.
But no matter how things change, the foundation remains. Without solid fundamentals, dreaming of Aomine's freeform style is nothing but fantasy.
Under Haizaki's terrifying pace, the situation flipped. Fukuda Sogo scored again and again.
Yosen could still score easily against Fukuda—but what did it matter?
No matter how many points you make, a match you're destined to lose feels nothing but despair.
After the first quarter, Fukuda activated the core of their strategy—constant substitutions, cycling players in and out as stamina drained away.
Of course, Yosen's tall players also suffered. Big bodies consumed more stamina, and Yosen entered their own substitution phase.
But none of that affected Haizaki. It only made scoring easier for him, saving even more energy.
After Haizaki's sudden eruption, the match entered a grinding rhythm.
Facing Haizaki was torture for Yosen.
Facing Yosen's superior physical players was torture for Fukuda as well—stamina leaking away like water from a cracked container.
Four quarters. Ten minutes each. Ten minutes at halftime. Three-minute breaks in between.
With timeouts included, barely over an hour.
Yet within that hour, every player felt like they'd run a full-speed marathon. Everyone panted heavily, some collapsing onto the bench floor without caring about appearances anymore.
WHIIISTLE!
The long whistle sounded. Seeing the score—86 to 73—Haizaki Shogo finally took a deep breath and walked toward the bench, feeling thoroughly satisfied.
They had won.
And the next opponent… was the king—Teiko Junior High.
That thought filled Haizaki with anticipation. For Aomine. For Midorima. For Akashi.
Returning to the bench, he saw Shimizu Rena handing him a towel and water. On impulse, Haizaki scooped her up and spun her around a few times before setting down the blushing girl.
Her small embarrassment was instantly drowned out by her teammates' cheers.
Coach Kudo walked over and slapped Haizaki's shoulder hard.
"Great job!!!"
"Of course!!!"
On the court, both teams lined up, bowed, and shook hands.
Friendship first, competition second!!!
When Haizaki shook Yosen's captain's hand, the other side didn't let go immediately and said with a hint of schadenfreude,
"Haizaki, next match against your old Teiko teammates—are you ready?"
"…Ready to get crushed."
Haizaki froze slightly, his pupils shrinking.
He looked carefully at the man. Someone familiar—they had faced each other in last year's nationals.
As for the name, Haizaki didn't know it, and didn't care to.
"Prepare?"
"Do I even need to?"
Yosen's captain released his hand and laughed as he walked away.
"Haahaha! No need to prepare, huh? Interesting."
Haizaki felt puzzled, but still finished shaking hands, packed his bag, and followed the coach out of the gym with Shimizu Rena beside him.
On the team bus, the exhausted teammates finally recovered a bit, chatting excitedly, faces filled with joy.
Soon, the engine started, the noise quieted, and Coach Kudo's voice rang out.
"Everyone's tired today. Go home and rest well."
"Next week we will intensify our training. Next weekend, our opponent is the strongest king—Teiko Junior High."
"Are you ready?"
No one answered. Everyone looked at Haizaki Shogo.
Haizaki paused, then spoke calmly,
"Why are you looking at me? I'm in Fukuda Sogo now, not Teiko."
"Haizaki… is Teiko really that strong? Stronger than you?"
A teammate voiced what everyone wondered.
Haizaki lowered his head, thinking. Should I tell them the truth? Should I hit them with reality now… or let them be shocked later?
Better now than on the court. Consider it a vaccine.
After deciding, Haizaki spoke in a low, steady voice.
"Teiko's current starting five…"
"Every one of them is on my level."
"There's also one special guy… you can count him at that level too."
The moment he finished—
The bus fell into absolute silence.
Even breathing seemed to stop.
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