Boom!
Tendou smashed the ball out of Murasakibara's hands with a single punch—even though Murasakibara had been gripping it tightly with all his strength.
"He really pulled that off?" Araki Masako gritted her teeth.
Today's Murasakibara had surprised her. He was without a doubt the strongest version of himself she had ever imagined.
He had put away his laziness and was earnestly learning how to become the core of a team.
He had picked up the responsibility he once threw aside, placed the team on his shoulders, and even entered the Zone.
And yet—even like this, he still couldn't overcome Tendou's defense.
Was seeing the future truly unbreakable?
As she pondered, Tendou and Murasakibara had already reignited their sprint, flying toward the other half of the court.
Their speed was like shooting stars. Every other player on the court might as well have been traffic cones—none could stop them, not even enough to slow them down.
Fukui Kensuke made an attempt to intercept Tendou, hoping to delay him for a moment.
With a slap, Tendou smacked the ball to his left. Fukui immediately shifted in that direction.
But just as he moved, Tendou cut the ball back with his other hand and changed course to the right.
The entire sequence took less than a second.
Fukui cursed himself for falling for it again, but truthfully—even if he hadn't, the result wouldn't have changed.
As he was still frustrated, Murasakibara swept past him like a cyclone. The wind stirred by his sprint nearly made Fukui lose his footing.
Now, their only hope rested on Murasakibara.
"So damn persistent."
Tendou didn't need to turn around—his vision alone told him that Murasakibara was still hot on his heels.
With his height and wingspan, Murasakibara was a terrifying presence on defense.
"Then let's try this."
A glint flashed in Tendou's eyes. He accelerated and crossed the three-point line, closing in on the free-throw line.
Then, under the stunned gaze of everyone in the arena, he launched himself into the air—from the free-throw line.
"From that far out?!"
"What the hell is he thinking? Murasakibara's right next to him!"
"Wait—he's not trying to dunk, is he?!"
"No way! That's the free-throw line! No one can dunk from there!"
A dunk from the free-throw line during an actual game was practically a fantasy. Even the most imaginative fans had never witnessed it.
In NBA history, only one player had ever successfully dunked from the free-throw line in a real match.
That player was LeBron James, the face of the Cavaliers.
Tendou obviously wasn't there yet—maybe one day, but right now, he was still just a high school student.
But who said you had to reach the rim to dunk?
Mid-air, Tendou raised the ball from waist to overhead in one fluid motion, then slammed it forward with one arm like he was about to throw down a tomahawk jam.
Only… he was still meters away from the hoop.
Only Alex Garcia and her two disciples seemed to recognize the form—and their expressions shifted in shock.
But…
"This isn't possible…" Himuro Tatsuya murmured, refusing to believe what he was seeing.
Kagami Taiga and Alex Garcia were equally stunned.
Kagami had only just begun learning the Meteor Dunk. He hadn't even scratched the surface—and now you're telling him Tendou had already completed it?
Alex swore to the heavens—she had never once taught Tendou the Meteor Dunk.
They hadn't spoken a single word to each other. They were complete strangers.
Her two signature moves were meant for her two disciples only.
On the court, Murasakibara leapt with all his might, determined not to give Tendou even the slightest window.
But this wasn't a shot.
As Murasakibara rose, Tendou's Six Eyes locked in on the hoop. In the next moment, he launched the ball from the right side of Murasakibara's body, his strength and precision perfectly synchronized.
The very next second—
"Shit!"
BOOM!
The ball exploded from his hand, arcing over Murasakibara's reach—even though Tendou was still several meters away from the rim.
The sheer power behind the ball made its trajectory nearly invisible. No one could track it.
All they saw was a blazing light—a meteor streaking across the court and crashing through the net, slamming into the floor with a thunderous bang.
"It really was the Meteor Dunk…" Kagami was frozen, muttering in disbelief. "How did he learn it…?"
"What Meteor Dunk?" Seirin's players were baffled.
They had no idea what this technique was. Alex had only just begun teaching it to Kagami.
Originally, she planned to surprise everyone at Seirin with it—but Tendou had beaten them to the punch.
Right now, they knew absolutely nothing about the Meteor Dunk.
"It's one of Alex's two signature moves."
"The first one is the Mirage Shot—the one Himuro and Tendou used. It's an unblockable shot Alex developed after going pro."
"And the second one is this… the Meteor Dunk?"
"That's right. If the Mirage Shot is a technique of stillness, then the Meteor Dunk is a technique of force. It allows a player to attack the basket from three meters away."
Alex took a deep breath.
The Meteor Dunk—which even her own disciples hadn't mastered—had been flawlessly executed by a complete stranger.
And judging by Tendou's leap, his hang time wasn't inferior to her students'. His accuracy seemed practically guided by radar.
He'd already fully mastered the Meteor Dunk—and could probably dunk from any position within the three-point line.
"But if it's Alex's technique, how did Tendou learn it?" Seirin's players were dumbfounded.
"…Maybe he saw it in a match, or maybe… he developed it on his own."
Either way, the captain of the Generation of Miracles had once again proven his monstrous talent.
This was self-taught mastery.
Everyone knew how difficult the Meteor Dunk was to learn. That kind of vertical leap alone was enough to shut most players out completely.
"Wooooahhh!"
The crowd erupted once more.
Tendou's spectacular dunk—no, his Meteor Dunk—had completely ignited the audience.
Even Murasakibara, the best defensive player in the country, couldn't stop it at all.
"This is payback for that dunk you put on me earlier, Atsushi."
The ball went in.
Tendou finally got that frustration off his chest.
Murasakibara said nothing. It wasn't that he was upset about getting dunked on.
He understood—this kind of dunk was nearly impossible to stop, even if you were prepared. Let alone now, when he was giving everything just to keep up.
The speed was too fast. The power, too overwhelming.
When Tendou hurled the ball forward, Murasakibara swore he could hear the air itself tearing in agony.
Himuro's expression was conflicted.
The technique he most wanted to learn from Alex wasn't the Mirage Shot—it was the Meteor Dunk.
But the Meteor Dunk had hard physical requirements. That monstrous vertical leap alone kept him out of contention.
With no other choice, he settled for learning the Mirage Shot instead.
And yet now—both of Alex's signature moves had been reproduced by Tendou.
He didn't believe for a second that his coach had taught Tendou anything.
Which could only mean—just like with the Mirage Shot—Tendou had seen it once, and then simply taught it to himself.
"What the hell even is this guy?"
Tōō's players were speechless. This was another move they'd never even heard of.
"It's called the Meteor Dunk," Momoi said proudly. "It's kinda like the Mirage Shot—Tendou just learned it a few days ago."
"Oh, I see… Wait, hold on—how do you know that?!"
"Because I helped!" she replied sweetly. "I filmed the footage and passed it along to Tendou, of course."
What the hell?! Whose side are you even on?!
Congratulations, Tōō.
You've finally figured out that Momoi Satsuki is a complete traitor.
...
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