With a single [Meteor Jam], the court fell silent in an instant.
But the silence did not last long before the crowd shattered it.
The spectators cried out one after another.
"Unbelievable! He actually slammed the ball in!"
"Yeah! That was way too cool!"
That was the nature of dunks. They were the easiest moves to ignite the atmosphere.
Unlike the excited crowd, everyone on Seirin's side had fallen somewhat silent.
Tatsuya Himuro was especially stunned, frozen where he stood.
Taiga Kagami clenched his teeth and stared hard at the court.
Alex Garcia glanced at Taiga Kagami and said, "I didn't expect the special move I taught Taiga to be used by someone else so easily."
Shinji Koganei spoke up in confusion.
"Um... I noticed something... Why are you all so shocked when Taiga's special move gets used?"
"But earlier, when Himuro's special move was used by someone else, none of you reacted this strongly."
Tatsuya Himuro sighed and explained, "Let me explain."
"My skill, [Mirage Shot], is fundamentally just a highly difficult shot."
"As long as someone has exceptional accuracy and a certain amount of hang time, they can use it."
At this point, Tatsuya Himuro's expression grew serious.
"But Taiga's is different."
"First of all, what [Meteor Jam] requires most is explosive jumping power, hang time, precise distance judgment, and control over power."
"If the power control is poor, or the distance judgment is off, the ball will be knocked away."
"And if the vertical leap isn't enough, then using [Meteor Jam] is completely impossible."
"Taiga has been practicing this special move ever since his master taught it to him."
Then Tatsuya Himuro turned to look at Shogo Haizaki on the court and said, "But Haizaki is different. He has not even played against Taiga. He only watched Taiga use [Meteor Jam] once, and then he used it himself."
"I have to admit, this [Selfless] skill really is impressive."
Only then did everyone from Seirin understand the reason.
Junpei Hyuga clenched his fist, his expression dark.
"Damn it, are all the players from Kirisaki Daiichi this freakish?!"
Hearing this, Tatsuya Himuro gave a bitter chuckle but did not answer.
As someone who had spent time at Kirisaki Daiichi, only he knew just how abnormal Kirisaki Daiichi truly was.
How professional and abnormal their training intensity and facilities were!
...
On the court.
After using [Meteor Jam], Shogo Haizaki seemed to hit his stride. For three straight possessions, he took Shoichi Imayoshi one-on-one and scored.
He also used other scoring moves.
For example, on a later possession, after blowing past Shoichi Imayoshi in a single step, Shogo Haizaki completely ignored the help defense and used Tatsuya Himuro's [Mirage Shot].
On the next possession, he used [Lightning Dribble] and Reo Mibuchi's [Heaven].
Then, on the third possession, he went even further and used Shintaro Midorima's shooting form without any regard for logic, sinking the shot from two steps beyond the three-point line.
Seeing the score gap grow wider and wider, Daiki Aomine, who had originally planned to go all out in the second half, could no longer sit still.
He took the initiative to switch defensive assignments with Shoichi Imayoshi, letting Shoichi Imayoshi guard Shuzo Nijimura instead.
...
On the court.
Shogo Haizaki slowly dribbled to the outside of the three-point line. Looking at Daiki Aomine, who was guarding him, a trace of mischief suddenly rose in his mind.
"Aomine, you're guarding me?"
Daiki Aomine spread his arms and grinned.
"Haizaki, let me see what you've got."
Shogo Haizaki suddenly smiled and said, "You want to see what I've got? Too bad. I won't."
With that, Shogo Haizaki passed the ball to Shuzo Nijimura.
Shuzo Nijimura froze for a moment after catching it. He had not expected Shogo Haizaki to pass the ball to him.
Seeing this, Shogo Haizaki immediately shouted, "Nijimura-senpai, teach that squinty-eyed guy a lesson! I can't stand him!"
The corners of Shoichi Imayoshi's mouth twitched hard twice, and inside, he nearly lost it.
Damn it! All I did was use psychology to expose your little thoughts a few times! Is that really enough for you to target me?!
Damn, that's sinister!
Daiki Aomine frowned at the scene and said unhappily, "Haizaki, since when did you get so cowardly?"
Shogo Haizaki glanced at Daiki Aomine and said casually, "Hah, cowardly? Aomine, you're wrong."
Shogo Haizaki stared straight at Daiki Aomine, and his tone grew heavy.
"Using tactics reasonably, exploiting your opponent's weaknesses, and scoring in the simplest way possible. That's what basketball should be."
"If I can attack a weakness, why wouldn't I?"
Daiki Aomine's brow furrowed even tighter, and his expression grew more displeased, but he did not argue.
Because what Shogo Haizaki said did make some sense.
Then Shogo Haizaki suddenly smiled as if he had changed faces in an instant and said, "I'm messing with you, Aomine. Didn't think you'd still be that stupid."
Daiki Aomine's body instantly stiffened. A surge of anger rushed straight into his head. He clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth, "Haizaki!..."
Swish!!!
While the two of them were talking, Shuzo Nijimura had already scored.
Seeing this, Shogo Haizaki ignored Daiki Aomine and turned back to defend.
Off the court, Makoto Hanamiya saw this, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he thought to himself,
'Looks like lending Haizaki all those god-tier manuals wasn't a waste. His ability to manipulate emotions has finally reached a passable level.'
...
On the court.
Daiki Aomine reached out and shouted at Kosuke Wakamatsu, "Ball!"
Kosuke Wakamatsu had just received the ball from the referee out of bounds. Hearing Daiki Aomine, he hesitated and said, "Aomine, didn't we agree that you'd wait until the second half..."
Before Kosuke Wakamatsu could finish, Daiki Aomine cut him off. His voice was low and suppressed, like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
"Ball!"
Kosuke Wakamatsu looked at Shoichi Imayoshi. Seeing that Shoichi Imayoshi also looked helpless, he had no choice but to pass the ball to Daiki Aomine.
Shogo Haizaki watched this from the backcourt, the corners of his mouth lifting unconsciously.
'Sure enough, he's still easy to provoke.'
That was right. Shogo Haizaki wanted to anger Daiki Aomine, making him lose control of his emotions and forcing him to make a move early.
That way, Daiki Aomine would not be able to play the entire second half at full strength.
Of course, Shogo Haizaki had another reason for doing this.
His [Selfless] state was about to run out...
...