Among Teiko's passers, if one were to judge by the entire system—vision, gathering information, processing it, and executing—it might be hard to name the best.
But in terms of pure technique, without question, Makki Shinichi's "Emperor Pass" stood alone at the very top.
That very sensation of the Emperor Pass, combined with what he had absorbed from Nijimura, and refined through his growing analytical ability, allowed Shigure Akihito—after only a few possessions, to completely read Shōgo Haizaki's movements. From the instant the ball left Haizaki's hand, even earlier, he could already anticipate where the ball would hit the board and predict exactly where the rebound would fall.
Even so, Haizaki and Aomine still couldn't stop Shigure Akihito.
When it came time for their offense, Haizaki remembered what Shigure had said earlier and realized his passes were about to be targeted.
So this time, from the buildup to the pass, he was far more cautious than in the earlier successful possessions, then finally sent the ball toward the glass.
Go for it, blackie!
A sharp retreat dribble, a high-arc fadeaway, the ball spun perfectly off his fingertips—another bank-pass ready to be unleashed.
He already pictured it: the ball would fall neatly into the position he had warned Aomine of at the start of the play.
Whizz!
"Sorry," Shigure said coldly, "but I already know your pass inside out."
Snap!
As Haizaki released the ball, Shigure turned on a dime, accelerating toward the paint to cut off Daiki Aomine!
The very moment the ball was about to strike the board, Aomine—expecting Shigure's chase—made a misleading feint in his cut, just like before.
But this time, Shigure didn't hesitate for even a fraction of a second.
Before the ball even touched the board, he had already sprinted straight to the true landing spot.
He had seen through it completely.
Smack!
With perfect timing, Shigure intercepted the pass mid-air before it could even reach Aomine's hands.
"Scoring a few baskets with this trick was impressive, but relying on it alone won't get you far."
Haizaki's eyes widened, "Impossible…"
There hadn't been the slightest delay in Shigure's movements. Had he determined the rebound point from the very first step? Or even earlier?
…
In a blink, Shigure was already attacking.
First against Aomine Daiki: Nobunaga Kiyota's Showtime special—the nutmeg!
Then against Haizaki Shōgo: a retreat spin, Shammgod crossover, blowing past him completely!
The crowd was left in awe once more. Shigure Akihito was already storming into the paint, and no matter how desperately the two pursued, nothing could change the outcome.
Smack!
A flashy Showtime bank-off, followed immediately by
Nobunaga Kiyota's alley-oop reverse slam!
Boom!
Another crushing score.
Facing a monster like Shigure, it was almost impossible not to panic, no matter how firm their resolve. But in Aomine Daiki's and Haizaki Shōgo's eyes burned something else—a defiance that refused to die.
Yet the game itself was turning more and more one-sided.
After half an hour of play, the gym fell into complete silence. What they were witnessing was nothing less than a one-man massacre at Shigure Akihito's hands.
Not Nijimura, not Kuroko, not even Sanada Naoto from the second tier, nor coach Shirogane himself—none of them had imagined Shigure would evolve to this level after Nationals.
The score…
No one even bothered counting anymore.
The only thing remembered was that Haizaki and Aomine had managed to score just three baskets, all thanks to that temporary "bank-pass breakthrough."
Now, Aomine's drive and dish was cleanly intercepted.
Behind-the-back dribble.
Nutmeg.
Pull-back hook.
Double spin reverse layup.
Banked fadeaway.
Combined with his Showtime flair, Shigure's game only grew wilder, each possession more outrageous than the last. Every basket seemed stitched together from impossible combinations of skills.
It was then that Nijimura Shūzō suddenly noticed something: Haizaki's body stiffened oddly for a split second.
Something was wrong…
His hand?
Clap clap clap!
From the sideline, Nijimura's sharp claps rang out, breaking the flow of the game.
"Haizaki, come off!"
Haizaki blinked, "What? What did you say?!"
"Don't argue," Nijimura said firmly, "get off the court."
"I said I'm fine, stop nagging me!" Haizaki roared back.
"I told you to get off now!"
Never before had Nijimura's face looked this stern.
Haizaki knew exactly why. He also knew Nijimura's eyes—violent and unforgiving as they were—missed nothing. He had noticed the problem right away.
In the end, Haizaki clenched his teeth and left the court reluctantly.
As he passed, Nijimura gave him a closer look. Just as he suspected: Haizaki's recent obsession with Kotarō Hayama's "Thunder Dribble" had put enormous strain on his body, and his still-developing frame simply couldn't handle it.
His wrist, in particular, had taken the heaviest damage. He couldn't keep playing.
From the second tier, Sanada Naoto exhaled, "Finally… but what happened to Haizaki's body? And…"
"Will this affect his mentality?"
Coach Shirogane glanced at Haizaki, then shook his head lightly.
"I don't think there's anything to worry about."
Following his gaze, Sanada also caught sight of Haizaki's expression.
And froze.
"…What intensity…"
It was as if he were staring not at a boy, but at a starving wolf, refusing to submit even before a tiger or leopard.
More importantly, despite being crushed so utterly by Shigure just moments ago, there was no despair in Haizaki's eyes.
To be honest, if Sanada himself had been the one playing against that kind of Shigure, he wasn't sure he could avoid sinking into negativity.
But Haizaki—proud, arrogant, first-year prodigy that he was—still stood unbowed.
Even after being beaten down so thoroughly, his fighting spirit had not weakened in the slightest.
Instead, it burned even stronger…
One could almost hear the wolf's roar.
END OF CHAPTER
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