In the stands—
The spectators watched as Toyotama got played like fools by Aoi Kunisaku, and their eyes filled with sympathy.
It was brutal. Just straight-up brutal.
Toyotama wasn't getting wrecked because Shohoku was playing dirty or injuring people. They were just getting walked like obedient dogs on a leash, completely stripped of any initiative.
On offense, they kept getting blocked by Aoi Kunisaku, who seemed to pop out of nowhere.
Even when Aoi Kunisaku wasn't there, Akagi Takenori and Rukawa Kaede were like they were on something. They shut down every possible shooting lane so tight, Toyotama couldn't even find a window to shoot.
On defense? No need to say more. Over twenty points had been scored almost entirely by Aoi Kunisaku.
With that insane speed, the moment he got the ball, Toyotama's players didn't even bother chasing him. They could only stand there and watch as he blitzed to the rim and casually scored. No one could catch up.
As for that plan to go dirty on Aoi Kunisaku…
Nobody knew what Toyotama had in mind at first.
But after a few rounds, they finally understood.
Forget executing the plan—they couldn't even make him move.
No matter how flashy the fake, Aoi Kunisaku didn't budge.
And if they tried a direct Drive, he'd just strip the ball clean with that freakish speed.
Can't score, can't defend, can't even bait him. That was the wall Toyotama ran into.
Minami Tsuyoshi was already breaking down.
He stared hard at Aoi Kunisaku. His face, which had been calm, now twisted into a savage grimace.
That burning frustration—pure tilt—gnawed at his reason. The blood vessels in his eyes popped even more.
What was left of his rational mind screamed at him not to force it anymore, but he couldn't break free of the spiral.
He Dribbled once more into Shohoku's half.
Just like before, Aoi Kunisaku stepped up to stop him.
Everyone on Toyotama focused in.
Time felt frozen.
A thousand thoughts raced through Minami's mind.
In the end, he clenched his teeth and forced himself to Pass the ball.
Huh?
Aoi Kunisaku raised an eyebrow. A little surprised, but he didn't think much of it.
A Pass meant they'd dropped the idea of targeting him.
He didn't care what they chose to do.
Pass all you want. Doesn't mean the shot's going in.
Don't Pass? Then get ready to lose your mind.
If you're trying to cheap-shot me, too bad—you're not even gonna touch me.
Yup, I'm just here to mess with you. Frustrate you. Tilt you. Break you.
Yajima Kyohei caught the ball and almost went straight into a Jump Shot, but Mitsui Hisashi popped up in front of him.
If he took that shot, Mitsui was definitely gonna interfere—or maybe even block it.
So instead, he considered doing what he did last time—go for the body.
Then he hesitated.
He'd already been called for one Flagrant Foul. Another, and he'd probably get tossed from the game.
After weighing it all, he bailed on the shot and Passed.
Mitsui smirked, eyes gleaming with mockery. "What, too scared to shoot? I thought you were gonna slam into me again like before!"
"Tch…" Yajima Kyohei snorted. He answered coldly, "I'm not in the mood to get benched just yet. But…"
He gave a wicked grin. "You better watch yourself. Who knows when I'll make you eat floor again."
Mitsui's eyes narrowed, but he shot back anyway, "Bring it on. I'm waiting."
He talked big, but deep down, he stayed alert. No way he'd let his guard down.
The ball went to Kishimoto Minori.
Kishimoto whipped his ponytail and made a few sharp steps, cutting into Shohoku's paint.
Just as he went to shoot, Rukawa Kaede flew in and blocked almost the entire shooting angle.
Kishimoto had no choice but to force a shot, and his chances weren't looking good.
His first thought was to Pass.
But in the middle of Shohoku's Key, the positioning was a mess. He couldn't find a single good passing lane.
"Damn it, what's with these Shohoku guys?" Kishimoto's brows knitted. He cursed under his breath.
He didn't get it. Why were these guys playing defense like they were possessed?
What he didn't know was, thanks to Aoi Kunisaku dominating the ball, the rest of Shohoku barely got any offensive chances. So every one of them had bottled-up energy.
With nothing to unleash on offense, they poured everything into defense.
In a way, Aoi Kunisaku's ridiculous playstyle had actually cranked up Shohoku's overall defense.
In the end, Kishimoto clenched his teeth and threw up a desperate shot.
But before he even got it halfway up, Rukawa Kaede slapped the ball right out of his hand.
The basketball slammed hard into Kishimoto Minori's knee, then bounced up with force.
But strangely, it flew toward Shohoku's hoop.
Everyone tilted their heads up, eyes locked on the ball sailing through the air.
The tension in the gym hit its peak. Nobody dared breathe. All eyes were locked onto that ball.
Its arc was misleading. It really looked like it might go in.
They all watched it float over the rim. Then it started to drop.
It hit the inner left edge of the rim and bounced up again.
Then it ricocheted toward the right.
And just like that, it smacked the right edge too.
Back and forth, the ball pinged off both sides of the rim in a weird loop.
Eventually, it lost its momentum and slowed down.
It was uncanny—like Toyotama had been cursed or something. Fate just wasn't on their side.
The ball teetered on the edge for a second. Then, out of nowhere, a strange gust of wind seemed to blow it sideways. It slipped off and fell out of the rim.
Only then did the players react and go for the Rebound.
And at that moment, a blur streaked through the air ahead of everyone else.
Aoi Kunisaku came flying out of nowhere and snatched the falling ball mid-air.
The second they saw it was Aoi Kunisaku, everyone on Toyotama froze. A wave of panic rose in their chests.
"Not good!"
"Stop him!" Kishimoto Minori shouted, quickly shifting his position to try to cut off Aoi Kunisaku's route.
Aoi Kunisaku landed smoothly.
He scanned the court. Shohoku's paint was a total mess. All the players were packed in tight.
Then, his gaze locked on a figure—Minami Tsuyoshi.
He was closing in fast.
Aoi Kunisaku instantly read the play.
The chaos under the basket gave Minami the perfect cover to sneak in a cheap shot.
Minami had already been frustrated for several possessions. Now that he had a real shot, there was no way he'd pass it up.
The corner of Minami's mouth curled into a twisted grin. His eyes gleamed with vicious intent.
But right before he reached Aoi Kunisaku—
Aoi Kunisaku casually flicked the ball into the air.
Whoosh…
The ball soared high over Toyotama's half of the court.
Aoi Kunisaku had calculated the height perfectly. The ball would take a while to come down.
He was confident he could catch up before it landed.
But no one else knew what he was up to.
Everyone stared, baffled by his sudden move.
Even Minami froze, eyes wide with confusion.
What the hell is he doing?
Why throw the ball?
Did he give up because he couldn't Dribble out?
Before anyone could figure it out, Aoi Kunisaku had already exploded forward like a red flash, chasing after the ball.
Whoosh…
That streak of red sliced through everyone's vision.
Minami's eyes went wide. He finally realized what Aoi Kunisaku was trying to do.
"Stop him!" he shouted, panicked.
But it was too late.
Aoi Kunisaku had already broken through the crowd like a shot arrow, sprinting straight toward Toyotama's half.
The ball he tossed had only just reached the half-court line.
Everyone watched, stunned.
Aoi Kunisaku sprinted across the floor, the basketball drifting in the air.
The sight left everyone speechless.
Spectators. Players. Even the Referees.
Nobody had ever seen anything like it. Not even in dreams.
What shocked them most was Aoi Kunisaku's unreal speed.
He was actually catching up to a ball mid-flight.
What kind of freakish body did you need for that?!
By the time Aoi Kunisaku reached Toyotama's Three-Point Line, the ball began to drop.
It bounced once, and he scooped it up with a single motion.
What came next was obvious.
With no one under the basket, Aoi Kunisaku took a few quick steps and launched into a Dunk.
Clang!
The ball slammed into the net.
Shohoku 25 to 0 Toyotama.