Nebuya Eikichi's box-out was pure muscle — no finesse at all — just raw strength pitted against his opponent.
And yet…
Against Kurokami Shinji, it was absurdly effective.
That sheer, overwhelming power made Shinji's face darken instantly. Memories of those miserable scrimmages against Nijimura and Shigure during practice came flooding back.
From the bench, Haizaki Shōgo listened to Nebuya's booming voice echoing all the way to the sidelines, snorted, and muttered, "Hmph, muscle-brained idiot… does having a loud voice make you special?"
On the other side, Murasakibara Atsushi watched Nebuya with barely restrained eagerness.
He was thinking, If I were on the court, I wouldn't even have to worry about breaking that gorilla.
Although that worry had been fading ever since he joined Teiko, the habit had been ingrained in him for years, so it was the first thought that came to mind.
Midorima Shintarō, however, frowned slightly.
Although Shigure-senpai had said that Nebuya was a player without much technique, just like Murasakibara, that was probably from the perspective of a technician.
In Shigure's eyes, the crudeness of their skills might be about the same.
But in reality…
Compared to Murasakibara, Nebuya's fundamentals were still much better.
From the outside, it looked like a very standard box-out, but the way he sank his hips, the control of his stance, and the use of his arms — all of it was undeniably solid.
And when that technique was paired with raw power, even a center as technically sound as Kurokami Shinji could be forced out of prime rebounding position.
On court, Nebuya roared, "Muscle rebound!" and completely sealed Shinji away from the ball.
Kurokami Shinji: "...!"
Tch!
There's no way a muscle-bound gorilla like you is beating me!
Boom!
Even after losing the battle for ground position, Shinji — nearly the same height as last year's Hagioka Kasuyuki — still had the advantage in the air.
The two jumped almost simultaneously. Shinji was boxed out, but with his height and reach, it still looked like he could contest.
But then…
"Hah!"
"That's it…?"
"You think you can match my muscle?!"
Thud!
In midair, the moment their bodies clashed, Shinji felt like he'd hit a slab of stone.
What… what insane strength!
"He just overpowered Kurokami Shinji in midair!"
"Shinji's well over 190 cm — he may not be all muscle, but with that frame, he's no lightweight…"
Nebuya gripped the ball in midair, his arms like an iron wall holding Shinji behind him — and then…
Contact.
Separation.
But the next instant…
The light above him dimmed as a shadow fell, followed by a sudden silence from the crowd — and then, a deafening roar.
"My god…"
"So high!"
"Shigure Akito!"
At that moment, the ball Nebuya had in his grasp felt like it was being wrenched away by a beast.
For the first time this year, he felt the disadvantage in raw strength. The shock made him turn his head — only to see a figure practically suspended in the air.
And on that figure's jersey…
Number 5.
Shigure Akito.
And behind him…
A towering, long-maned elephant, stomping down from above.
"Heh~"
"Eikichi…"
"Are your muscles just balloons you pumped up at the gym?"
"One poke and they pop?"
Nebuya's pupils shrank sharply at the taunt.
Smack!
In midair, Shigure snatched the ball one-handed, secured it, and in the next heartbeat…
Akagi Takenori's signature…
Gorilla Slam Dunk!
Nebuya's vision spun wildly. Before he even realized it, he'd been knocked clean out of the paint. And right in front of him…
Shigure Akito hung from the rim, the entire hoop trembling precariously.
"Huh?!"
"Wait"
"Was that a steal or a rebound"
"Who cares? That putback was insane!"
The crowd was stunned for a moment, then erupted.
"You call that a putback?!"
"I mean, I knew he could do it, but damn — that one-step into the paint and the jump? Way too high. And he completely overpowered Nebuya…"
"Exactly. Forget the whole 'technician' label — last year, people also noticed Shigure Akito's monster-level physical ability."
"Yeah… as a first-year, he went head-to-head with Hagioka Kasuyuki."
"And now…"
"With another growth spurt this year, combining that with his already polished skill set, he's basically got no weaknesses!"
Gasps and cheers rolled through the stands, all from that single sudden strike by Shigure.
And the impact — flooring the strongest of the 'Five Generals' in raw power — left everyone stunned into momentary silence.
On court…
Hiss~!
Nebuya pushed himself up from the floor. Whatever he was thinking, his burning gaze locked onto Shigure.
Clearly…
That slam hadn't broken his will.
If anything, it had only stoked his fighting spirit.
Still…
It was also clear that the man who'd been shouting so loudly earlier was now running silently to the frontcourt.
…
On Ibu's offensive possession, their point guard worked the ball around the three-point line, using screens to drag Teiko's "Twin Stars" to one side. Finally, he found a chance to feed it to their most favorable matchup — Nebuya Eikichi.
"Eikichi!"
"Ah…"
"Let's go."
Smack.
Catching the ball, Nebuya glanced at Shigure, who was parked near the free-throw line. His heart skipped — that so-called "ultra-wide defensive range"…
It was terrifying.
But even scarier was the strength Shigure had just shown.
Based on last year's Shigure and Nijimura, Nebuya could confidently say his own strength now far surpassed theirs.
He'd honed these muscles through endless grinding, convinced that no matter how much Shigure had grown this year, he couldn't surpass him in raw power.
But reality… was different.
Still…
Even if Shigure carried the "technician" title, anyone who truly understood Nebuya… would never slack in strength training themselves.
Monster.
A body he had built for power alone… still lost to someone greedy enough to master everything.
"But that's fine…"
"Otherwise…"
"What's the point of these muscles?"
"Hey!"
"Kurokami Shinji."
"You can't stop my muscles. I want Shigure Akito guarding me — call him over."
At that, Shinji stared at Nebuya, noting the hairstyle he'd kept since last year at Shigure's suggestion.
He thought…
There's always a reason to dislike someone.
Muscle gorilla…
And you even keep the same hairstyle as me!
"What's your level?"
"If you want to face our ace, beat me first!"
"Muscle gorilla!"
Nebuya nodded under Shinji's defense. "Fair enough. Since you're the center, I'll take you out first — then Teiko will have no choice but to switch Shigure onto me."
And besides…
What's my level?
My muscles are top level.
"I'm coming!"
"Orah!"
"Oooooorah!"
"Orah!"
"Muscle… muscle back-down!"
Amidst the grating shouts, Shinji lowered his stance sharply.
Sinking his hips…
Even with his center of gravity as low as possible, Nebuya kept forcing him back!
He couldn't hold him completely…
But in defense, you didn't always have to.
Nebuya couldn't attack directly from here — he'd have to get much closer to the basket.
That was the opening.
Boom!
Drop even lower!
Lean forward, put your weight into him!
Thud!
"Ugh…"
The heavy impact made Shinji grunt.
And then…
Hah!
Kurokami Shinji…
How many years have you been a center?
How could all that hard-earned skill lose to some half-baked muscle brute?!
And…
If I lose and Shigure has to come clean up after me…
That'd be humiliating!
Nijimura Shuzo, that bastard, would never let me live it down!
Sink…
Lower still!
Shinji's defense tilted forward at a sharp angle. The next moment, as Nebuya's back-down created a brief gap…
He stepped back slightly
And then
Used that space to explode forward!
Boom!
Nebuya blinked in surprise — just now, did Shinji's strength spike a little?
End of chapter...
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