"Beep!!"
The referee's whistle echoed through the gym, launching the match into motion. The ball soared into the air as Oliver and Rukawa leapt at the same time, their bodies stretched to the limit.
"Whoa, so high!"
Haruko and the others watching from the sidelines gasped in astonishment.
Despite being shorter than Rukawa, Oliver appeared to rise just as high—maybe even higher—creating the illusion that he had launched off the ground like a spring.
"This guy…"
Rukawa narrowed his eyes mid-air. He's jumped even higher than last time…
Oliver smirked as their hands met the ball.
"If you thought I spent my whole vacation sitting around, you're dead wrong."
"Bang!!"
Oliver slapped the ball downward with authority, securing possession for the senior team.
"Quick attack!"
Akagi caught the ball and immediately began dribbling down the court, raising a finger to direct the play.
"Stay calm! We'll take it slow and steady—let's make sure we score first!"
"Defense!!"
Kuwata, one of the first-years, shouted as he scrambled to organize his team.
"Tch…"
Rukawa clicked his tongue, shooting Oliver another look before sprinting off to cover Akagi.
"Damn gorilla! Give me the ball!"
Sakuragi burst in from the side, attempting to swipe the ball from Akagi.
"Hey-yo!"
Akagi, unfazed, executed a smooth crossover and switched the ball to his left hand with ease.
"You oversized ape!!"
His attempt failed spectacularly, and Sakuragi's face turned crimson with frustration.
"You're a hundred years too early to be stealing my ball!"
Akagi grinned and surged forward toward the basket.
"Hanamichi!"
Suddenly, Oliver's voice rang out from behind.
"Remember what I told you about defending under the basket?"
Sakuragi froze in place for a split second, then stomped the floor with renewed determination.
"I remember!!" he shouted, launching himself into the air with astonishing force.
"What!?"
Akagi's eyes widened in surprise.
"...Oh?"
Even Coach Anzai leaned forward in his seat, intrigued.
"Under the basket... jump high and block the shot—no matter what!!"
Sakuragi repeated Oliver's advice as he soared into the air.
"Snort!!"
"Bang!!"
A resounding slap echoed as Sakuragi sent the ball crashing to the floor, denying Akagi's shot in spectacular fashion.
"Yes! That's it!!"
Oliver jumped with excitement and gave Sakuragi a thumbs-up.
"How's that, Captain Akagi? Pretty impressive student I've got, right?"
"That's enough out of you! Whose team are you on again!?"
Akagi barked back, clearly annoyed.
"Get back on defense!"
---
Outside the Court.
"Wow! That was incredible! Sakuragi-kun is getting really good!"
Haruko leapt to her feet, her eyes shining with pride.
Having seen Sakuragi's growth from up close, she couldn't help but feel like a proud older sister.
"Not bad, Hanamichi! But don't let it go to your head!"
Mito and the others cheered from the sidelines.
"Haruko-sister..."
Hearing her voice, Sakuragi froze in the middle of the court and began rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"Idiot. You're going to get left behind if you keep daydreaming."
Rukawa sprinted past him, barely glancing his way.
"Huh?! What did you say, you smug bastard!?"
---
Meanwhile, first-year Kuwata picked up the loose ball and began dribbling toward Oliver's basket.
"Okay, watch me score a layup…!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself!"
Before he could react, Oliver appeared beside him like a ghost.
"Snap!"
With a clean steal, Oliver swiped the ball and took off like a rocket.
"Sonic Dash—Activate!"
His figure became a blur as he sprinted toward the opposite end of the court.
"Oh no! Get back on defense!!"
Kaede Rukawa reacted instantly, rushing to intercept.
He was the only one fast enough to keep up with Oliver, matching him stride for stride.
"As expected of Rukawa," Oliver noted silently. "His speed is something else."
Still, Oliver had no intention of slowing down.
"Let's see if you can keep up with this!"
He suddenly dribbled the ball behind his back and veered sharply to the right, forcing Rukawa to adjust. Still, Rukawa stuck to him tightly.
"This guy… he's not giving an inch."
Oliver glanced at him.
"But you're still too focused on the ball..."
Suddenly—"Bang!"
Rukawa ran straight into Akagi, who was standing firmly in his path like a brick wall.
"Nice pick and roll!!"
Ayako shouted from the sideline, clapping.
"How are they coordinating this well already?! Oliver and Captain Akagi are amazing!"
Haruko could only watch in stunned silence.
In her mind, Rukawa was always unbeatable… but Oliver was proving otherwise.
"Oliver is… incredible…"
---
Back on the court, Oliver weaved through three players in succession and approached the basket.
"I'm not letting you score!! Time for you to face the genius, Sakuragi Hanamichi!!"
Oliver grinned.
"Oh? Let's see what you've got, rookie."
He stomped hard, activating his system-enhanced strength, and exploded into the air.
"Let's go!"
Sakuragi, refusing to back down, leapt up as well, meeting Oliver in mid-air.
"Heh…"
Seeing him jump, Oliver smirked and suddenly changed his shooting motion, tossing the ball backward in mid-air.
"No!!"
Sakuragi panicked mid-air as he realized the fake.
"You're still too green, Hanamichi. No way I'd go for the obvious shot."
"But you're definitely growing. I'm proud of you, student."
Behind them, Akagi caught the no-look pass and charged toward the hoop.
"Bang!!"
With both hands, Akagi slammed the ball into the net, completing a powerful dunk.
Shohoku Seniors: 2 points!
"Nice shot!!"
"That was awesome!!"
Cheers erupted from the teammates. The slam not only scored but also fired up the entire gym.
"That pass from Oliver was textbook perfect!"
"And Captain Akagi's dunk… that was vicious!"
The two high-fived as they jogged back down the court.
Kogure, watching the scene, adjusted his glasses and felt a lump rise in his throat.
He'd seen Akagi fight hard since their junior high days. Back then, they never even made it to the county finals. Akagi had trained tirelessly—yet always fell short.
"It's all because we weren't strong enough..."
Looking at his captain's smile now, Kogure felt bittersweet emotions welling up inside.
"Akagi… you're finally starting to see the path to the national stage, aren't you?"
---
Under the basket, Oliver patted Akagi on the back.
"That dunk was gorilla-level good, Captain."
"You… Stop calling me gorilla!!"
"Hahahahaha!!"
Kogure laughed along with the others, wiping away the corner of his eye.
Thank god Oliver joined the team… Maybe this year, we can really make it to the nationals…
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