Daiki Aomine had clearly anticipated that the two of them would step up for help defense.
So the instant they moved in—before they had even fully set their positions—
CRACK!!!
The sound of lightning splitting the air echoed across the court, accompanied by the roar of a panther.
Shogo Haizaki's expression immediately changed.
'Damn!'
Shuzo Nijimura realized Aomine's intention at the same moment.
He was planning to accelerate straight to the rim before the two of them could properly establish their defensive positions!
Sure enough—
The moment Aomine activated Zone and Animal Instinct, his speed multiplied several times over. In the blink of an eye, he blasted past them and charged straight inside.
Nijimura and Haizaki could only watch as Aomine entered the paint.
They had been careless!
Facing an unguarded rim, Aomine naturally showed no mercy.
He leapt high, raised the basketball with his right hand, and swung it down hard!
BOOM!!!
The rim let out a mournful groan, as if echoing Aomine's mood.
After landing, Aomine let out a deep breath.
Damn it… all the frustration from the second quarter finally came out!
That felt amazing!!!
Aomine secretly reveled in the moment before quickly deactivating Zone and Animal Instinct.
Saving stamina was still the most important thing right now.
Although Tōō High was currently trailing by a large margin, Aomine showed no signs of panic.
Instead, he looked even more excited.
Desperate situations—
Those were exactly what Aomine loved!
After all, this was the strongest opponent he had faced in years. The thrill alone was enough to make his blood boil.
Nijimura scratched his head, glanced at Haizaki, and laughed.
"What happened there, Haizaki? How'd you let Aomine break through like that?"
Haizaki rolled his eyes and fired back,
"Didn't Nijimura-senpai let him through too?"
Nijimura burst out laughing and slung an arm over Haizaki's shoulder.
"That was an accident, an accident."
As he spoke, Nijimura's expression gradually became serious.
"But… didn't you notice something?"
"That brat Aomine just got even faster."
Haizaki nodded seriously.
"I noticed. So what are you getting at, Nijimura-senpai?"
A grin spread across Nijimura's face.
"Aomine's a panther, right?"
"Then let's show him… what a shark and a wolf can do."
Haizaki seemed to understand immediately and grinned.
"Sounds good…"
...
Kirisaki Daiichi's possession.
Although Atsushi Murasakibara was the main offensive option this time, the responsibility for bringing the ball up and organizing the offense belonged to Makoto Hanamiya.
Miyamoto quickly took his position and matched up with Kosuke Wakamatsu.
The moment Wakamatsu realized Miyamoto was guarding him, his face instantly twisted like he had just swallowed something disgusting.
'Damn it! Why is the [Magic Cube] playing center?! Is everyone at Kirisaki Daiichi this weird?!'
A shooting guard taller than a center.
A point guard built like a power forward.
And now that same point guard was playing center.
Meanwhile, the actual center had been moved to shooting guard.
Is this really how Kirisaki Daiichi runs their lineup?!
Why not just make the center play point guard too?!
Wait…
Isn't the point guard already playing center right now?!
Wakamatsu looked around at the five players on Kirisaki Daiichi's lineup.
Then he mentally shattered.
He… couldn't beat a single one of them.
On the sidelines, Tōō High's coach, Katsunori Harasawa, wore a very serious expression.
He looked at the players on the court, then glanced toward Kirisaki Daiichi's bench and sighed inwardly.
Kirisaki Daiichi was truly terrifying.
Even their substitutes could easily be starters at elite schools.
Just how exactly did their coach convince all these players to come together?
Harasawa suddenly became extremely curious about Kirisaki Daiichi's coach.
After all, there weren't many people capable of keeping so many talented players under control.
Take himself for example—he couldn't even manage a single Daiki Aomine.
Yet Kirisaki Daiichi's coach managed to control an entire team full of monsters.
He must be some highly respected veteran coach.
...
On the court.
Hanamiya dribbled up to Shoichi Imayoshi.
Looking at his old schoolmate, he sneered.
"You look pretty miserable."
"All that ability, yet you can't even use it. Is that really your role on the team?"
"Oh right, I heard you're the captain too."
"Looks like you're just like that guy from Kaijō—nothing more than a decorative accessory."
"Honestly, someone who couldn't even make the starting lineup in middle school… what could you possibly accomplish in high school?"
"Right, Imayoshi?"
Imayoshi visibly clenched his teeth.
But he quickly regained his composure.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he narrowed his eyes.
"Hanamiya, if you think that's enough to provoke me, then you're mistaken."
"And when you speak, your micro-expressions are revealing your true thoughts."
Hanamiya's eyelid twitched slightly.
'Psychology really is annoying.'
Since he had been called out, he stopped trash-talking.
With a flick of his right hand, Hanamiya passed the basketball toward the right side of the free-throw line.
It landed in Murasakibara's hands.
Then he waited for Murasakibara to attack.
The moment Hanamiya shifted his attention elsewhere, Imayoshi's fists immediately clenched and his expression darkened.
What "you can't provoke me."
What "micro-expressions."
That was all bullshit.
He was absolutely furious right now.
The whole "micro-expression reading" thing was just an excuse.
In reality, Imayoshi hadn't read anything at all.
Because when Hanamiya insulted people, his face didn't change in the slightest.
He looked completely sincere.
It was so convincing that Imayoshi had nearly lost his composure on the spot.
Murasakibara caught the ball with his back to Aomine.
He slightly turned his head, observing the position of the basket, Aomine's defense, and the other Tōō players.
While observing, Murasakibara noticed something strange.
None of the Tōō players seemed to have any intention of providing help defense.
Some of them were even looking at Aomine with resentment.
That person, of course, was Kosuke Wakamatsu.
That undisguised hostility didn't escape Miyamoto and the others.
Watching Wakamatsu's expression, Miyamoto thought to himself,
'Looks like that break wasn't peaceful after all.'
Hanamiya also noticed it.
After confirming that Wakamatsu's gaze was filled with resentment and anger, a new plan immediately formed in his mind.
Provoking Imayoshi?
Who cares about that.
Wouldn't provoking Wakamatsu—who was already on the verge of exploding—be far more interesting?
After finishing his observation, Murasakibara finally began his move.
He dribbled once and immediately started backing Aomine down.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Aomine braced himself firmly against Murasakibara.
But his body was still being pushed backward again and again.
Aomine's expression twisted as he clenched his teeth tightly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Every time Murasakibara slammed into him, he had to take a deep breath and hold it.
Otherwise, he simply couldn't withstand the force.
Even so, Murasakibara continued backing him down all the way into the paint.
And then—
Thor's Hammer!!!
BOOM!!!
...
(Disclaimer: Aomine currently plays as if he has no teammates, relying almost entirely on isolation even against multiple defenders. The goal here isn't to weaken his individual ability, but to show that passing should also be an available option. At higher levels of basketball, refusing to pass makes a player predictable and easier to shut down. Basketball is ultimately a five-man sport, and teammates can also be used to reset or reorganize the offense rather than forcing every play alone.)
...
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