Midway through the second quarter.
Teiko Middle School vs. Kirisaki Daiichi.
Score: 59–25.
The gap kept widening. After Hanamiya Makoto's trump card, the "Spider Web," failed to execute as planned, Kirisaki's hopes of a comeback fell apart. The 19-point deficit at the end of the first quarter ballooned to 34 points in just half a quarter.
Eventually…
Kirisaki Daiichi was forced to call a timeout.
This was the first time this year that Kirisaki's starting lineup had encountered such a situation.
Since Hanamiya took control of the basketball team in his second year, they had been basking in victory. Now, with a sudden and overwhelming defeat looming, everyone was left in a daze.
Meanwhile…
On the Teiko bench, the mood was relaxed.
Haizaki grumbled as he handed a towel and water to Nijimura Shuzo, muttering under his breath, "Hey, it's already halfway through the second quarter and the lead is only thirty-something?"
"Are you even trying, you brute?"
"I mean, seriously…"
"If the score difference doesn't stretch further…"
"Will that cut into my playing time in the second half?"
Aomine Daiki sat nearby, silent, but clearly shared the same concern.
At Teiko, the bar for what counted as a 'big lead' had been warped, thanks to the sheer dominance of Shigure Akihito and Nijimura Shuzo.
To other teams, hearing this kind of conversation would sound downright absurd.
What do you mean…
Only thirty points ahead?
The game wasn't even past the second quarter!
Assistant Coach Sanada Naoto glanced sideways at Haizaki Shōgo, then at Aomine Daiki, whose eyes were gleaming as he looked toward Shigure Akihito, clearly waiting for his answer.
And then, Shigure Akihito responded:
"Relax. We'll finish them off in one go from here on. You guys will get plenty of minutes in the second half. But if you can't handle it—especially those dirty tricks—just know I'll be ready to jump back in anytime."
"Next 27 points… 27…"
"Akashi."
"You can rest now."
Akashi Seijūrō blinked, surprised, but Shigure quickly clarified:
"If I'm off the court along with Nijimura in the second half, you'll be the one organizing the offense and breaking through the Spider Web as point guard."
"And to thoroughly crush Hanamiya Makoto, while your passes have been effective, Nijimura and I have another, more direct method."
With that, Shigure and Nijimura exchanged a glance.
Nijimura: "One-on-one."
Shigure: "If he wants to intercept passes, then we'll stop passing."
They spoke in unison.
Aomine's eyes lit up, ready to raise his hand to volunteer
But then, Nijimura shut him down cold:
"To dismantle Hanamiya's Spider Web, we need to eliminate any passes that can be intercepted."
"What Akashi did is one approach."
"Another is giving our most efficient scorers more isolation plays."
"But that only works if…"
"You can still score with the same consistency as a team play, even while being double-teamed."
Aomine: "..."
Team-level efficiency in isolation while under a double-team? Aomine could've confidently claimed that against any other team.
But this was Teiko.
He had seen with his own eyes what the team's collective offense could do during the entire qualifying round. He knew better.
The whistle blew.
Timeout over. Nijimura stood up.
"Everything is for the win. As long as it aligns with the team's needs and is the right decision, then no matter how it looks on the court…"
"It's all part of the team."
He glanced back at Aomine.
"Even if it's a one-on-one, the meaning behind it is entirely different. Don't get it twisted, Aomine."
Elsewhere
"We're down 34 points already!"
"Ever since the second quarter started, we haven't been able to shut down their passing. Damn it! What's with that first-year brat?!"
"Forget that for now…"
"The biggest headache is Shigure Akihito! You can't even take a shot within his defensive range. But how wide is that range, even?!"
"Everyone's tiptoeing around him. Every attack needs to be carefully redirected just to avoid him. It's driving me crazy!"
Amidst his teammates' complaints, Hanamiya's expression turned grim.
Then, just before they stepped back onto the court, he sneered:
"In that case, let's just take Shigure Akihito out before the second quarter ends, problem solved."
…
Players returned to the court.
Since the timeout had been called on Kirisaki's possession, they resumed with the ball.
Hanamiya wasn't about to give up his signature weapon, the Spider Web—but now he had a secondary objective…
Take down Shigure Akihito.
Hmph.
The early aggression and taunts had been to rile up the opponent.
Then maybe…
If he suddenly reintroduced that aggression after lying low for half a quarter, even Shigure might let his guard down.
As he plotted in silence and prepared to dribble up from the baseline
He looked up.
"Wha?!"
"Teiko's defensive matchup changed! Hanamiya's being marked by the Lion—Nijimura Shuzo!"
"Huh?"
"Isn't Nijimura a power forward?"
"Don't be fooled. He played point guard in last year's finals against Okayama. The guy can play every position except center."
"And the other one's even scarier. Heard he played every position during the qualifiers."
Amid the gasps from the stands, Nijimura crouched slightly, squaring off in front of Hanamiya.
He remembered going head-to-head with Shigure for scoring last year, back when he awakened his wild instinct. If it were the old him, he'd never have imagined he'd grow this much.
BOOM
Wild instinct.
The lion's aura surged forward!
With explosive body contact, Hanamiya's dribbling stiffened.
"The Spider Web…"
"How are you supposed to use it against a lion, Hanamiya?"
Elsewhere on the court
The moment the lion went full throttle, Imayoshi Shōichi felt a cold sweat bead on his forehead.
Because it meant… Teiko's Twin Stars were moving in on Hanamiya.
And they lived up to their name!
Purely on defense, a power forward was locking down a national-level point guard!
Kirisaki had been relying on fast breaks to stop Shigure Akihito from getting into defensive position.
But the moment Hanamiya crossed half-court and got stonewalled by Nijimura
Kirisaki's other players were already in their offensive spots.
Yet strangely, Hanamiya still hadn't passed the ball.
They turned to look—only to see Hanamiya trapped in front of Nijimura, struggling to maintain control like he was wading through quicksand, with constant pressure exposing his every weakness.
Eventually, he was forced to turn his back and protect the ball.
His movements slowed to a crawl—frozen!
SLAP!
A fatal gap opened.
Nijimura struck! Stripping the ball clean, he charged toward the opposite end in a fast break!
Hanamiya hadn't even made it near the three-point line!
Now over 180cm tall, Nijimura sprinted like a lion on the hunt—gathered speed, took flight in the paint
Soared!
And slammed it home with a single-handed tomahawk!
"Wha—what kind of defense was that?!"
"The top seed in the region, and their star point guard gets stopped cold?!"
"Nijimura Shuzo…"
"He jumped higher than last year!"
"Unreal. Nijimura's agility—he's visibly faster than Hanamiya, a legit point guard. They're not even in the same class!"
On the court
Hanamiya stood frozen, face dark as night.
In his heart, disbelief churned
That pathetic mess who'd just been humiliated like that…
Was him?
Hanamiya Makoto?
Kirisaki's players returned to receive the ball in silence.
Next possession, Nijimura was still on Hanamiya.
But this time, before Nijimura could even approach, Hanamiya quickly passed to Kirisaki's #13, essentially giving up his own ball-handling duties.
Once they reached half-court, Hanamiya stuck to rapid-fire passes, barely holding the ball.
Based on the lanes he'd analyzed in the first quarter, he quickly and accurately found Kirisaki #11, who had just used a screen to free up in the paint.
"Nice pass."
"Hanamiya."
Kirisaki #11 caught it and rose to shoot
But to his shock, the new power forward sub from Teiko, a grey-haired first-year, was already there!
"Tch."
Teiko players…
Every single one of them is a pain!
"Kōtō!"
Kirisaki #11 called for #10—the guy always chewing on a toothpick on the bench, all smug.
Using the screen battle as cover, #10 snuck into place and received a slick hand-off.
SMACK!
"Beautiful."
Kirisaki #10 jumped into a quick release, praising the pass.
But in the very next instant
From the spectators' view, a white blur streaked across the court at impossible speed, crashing into the fray!
Full-throttle!
Green Light!
Stacked together!
Speed
Terrifying!
BOOM!
Shigure Akihito launched into the air!
Using his full speed to rocket skyward!
Wuhu—Takeoff!
As Kirisaki #10 released the shot, he caught sight of the incoming figure—leaping from afar, still rising, higher and higher!
Where the hell are you trying to jump to?!
Akagi Takenori's signature move
Fly-swat block!
Shigure's arm swung
With a thunderous CRACK!
Unlike his previous blocks, this one resounded like an explosion, sending the ball streaking across the court with a violent trail!
It slammed directly into Kirisaki #11's face—the poor guy still lingering near the screen setup!
THUD!
The ball ricocheted again, flying up toward the spectator stands!
Defender Haizaki Shōgo turned green from the close call.
Seriously…
Just a bit closer and he might've been caught in that too!
Shigure Akihito…
This guy's definitely a maniac!
And just as Haizaki was reeling
He looked up, seeing Kirisaki #11 swaying unsteadily, still not falling.
The blow had knocked him past pain straight into daze mode, stars swirling before his eyes. The impact vibrated through every cell in his body.
Staggering…
Swaying…
Until—Haizaki reached out with a finger and gave him a poke.
Down he went.
KO'd!
The sudden turn of events sent a wave of commotion through the crowd—even the folks from Teiko Middle School were stunned.
No one expected the first injured player of the match…
Would be from Kirisaki.
Though honestly…
If only that block had hit Hanamiya's head instead—what a shame.
On the court
Kirisaki's second-year starters weren't exactly bound by friendship or hot-blooded camaraderie, but seeing their teammate crumple like that… they all rushed over.
By then, #11 was fully out cold—body twisted, drooling, unmoving like he'd been sent off to the next world.
The sight left even Hanamiya wide-eyed, the whole team falling into stunned silence.
Who the hell knew…
A block could be that powerful…
He really passed out…
Was that a damn cannon?!
End of chapter...
Thank you, everyone! 🙏The wave of reviews and feedback you've been giving the story has been incredible. I can't thank you enough for the love and support. ❤️
And because of that, another bonus chapter will be dropping soon on Patreon! 👀🔥
So if you've been enjoying the ride and want to dive deeper, get ahead, and unlock the story before anyone else… this is your chance.
🔥 Rookie Recruit – Read 15 chapters ahead
🔥 Starting Five – Jump 35 chapters ahead + 3 bonus chapters!
👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer
The saga is far from its final chapter. There's still time to become part of the team, it's never too late to stand with us. Let's keep the hype rolling, see you on the other side! 🏀💥