Step...
Step...
The two landed one after the other.
Sawakita Eiji looked at Aoi Kunisaku with a helpless smile and said sincerely, "You really are Shohoku's most dangerous guy. To pull that off in that situation... and that last shot... I've seen it on tape a few times too. Wasn't it called the 'Formless Shot'? Seriously impressive."
Aoi stared straight at him, his eyes filled with provocation and scrutiny. He said flatly, "Cut the crap. Show me what you've really got. They all call you the 'strongest high schooler'. Let me see what that means."
Without waiting for a reply, Aoi turned and jogged back on defense.
Watching Aoi's back, Sawakita sighed and muttered, "He's right. If I don't show something real, I really won't be able to handle him."
As he spoke, a sharp edge entered his eyes. His whole aura suddenly shifted.
Sannoh regained possession.
Once they crossed half-court, the ball landed cleanly in Sawakita's hands.
Aoi, without hesitation, shot forward like a red bolt of lightning to defend.
Sawakita instantly drove with the ball.
Bounce...
Bounce...
Bounce...
The ball thudded rhythmically on the court, rapidly shifting direction with Sawakita's agile hands.
But Aoi was like a powerful magnet. No matter how Sawakita moved or changed direction, Aoi stuck to him like a shadow, firmly cutting off his path.
Their movements grew faster and faster as they darted across the court. The white of Sannoh's uniforms and the red of Shohoku's intertwined like a mysterious, unfolding story.
"No way... Sawakita can't get past?" Nobe Masahiro blurted out in shock.
All the Sannoh players had their eyes wide open, stunned.
Sawakita had clearly stepped up his speed from before. Yet even so, he still couldn't shake off Aoi.
That fact alone said everything.
They had thought Aoi was just fast.
But now it was obvious—he was far more than that.
Even Sawakita, locked in this fierce duel, was shaken.
He realized that every one of his moves seemed like they'd been read.
He went for a between-the-legs dribble, followed by a spin move.
But just as he finished turning, Aoi's hand was already there—like a ghost—right in the ball's path.
In a flash of panic, Sawakita adjusted his stance and pulled back a step.
Whoosh...
Aoi's hand sliced through the air just shy of the ball.
Whoosh...
That time, the sound was Sawakita's relieved exhale.
That was way too close. One more moment and the ball would've been gone.
Aoi frowned at Sawakita's current level and mocked, "Oi! That all you've got? You won't beat me with that."
Sawakita's mouth twitched. His eyes on Aoi were complicated.
Until now, he had either crushed opponents or was on the way to doing it.
This was his first time facing someone so hard to break through.
He didn't reply. Instead, his eyes scanned the court, considering passing the ball.
But in that split second, Aoi suddenly lunged forward.
His speed was lightning fast, like a coiled snake striking its prey.
Slap...
By the time Sawakita reacted, the ball was already out of his hands.
He got stripped?
Sawakita froze for a moment. Then, quickly snapped back to his senses.
Aoi Kunisaku flashed past Sawakita Eiji like a red streak of light.
"Damn it, that first step... way too fast." Sawakita cursed in his heart. He both admired and dreaded Aoi's explosive acceleration from a standstill.
But now wasn't the time to be admiring him. He quickly turned and gave chase.
The next second, however, he was shocked to find that no matter how hard he tried, the distance between them just wouldn't close.
How is this possible?
Sawakita's eyes widened. His face was full of disbelief.
He wasn't the only one. The other Sannoh players noticed something was off too. One by one, their jaws dropped in shock at the scene before them.
"Sawakita can't catch up?" Fukatsu Kazunari was stunned for the first time.
Ichinokura Satoshi gasped. "You've got to be kidding me…"
Everything seemed normal just moments ago. Why had the pace suddenly changed so drastically?
Could it be that Aoi had been hiding his real strength this entire time?
Hiss…
At that thought, the entire Sannoh team couldn't help but suck in a breath.
On the sidelines, Domoto Goro frowned deeply. His eyes showed both doubt and concern.
The Aoi Kunisaku in front of him was completely different from what he'd seen in the tapes. That mismatch stirred unease in his heart.
Was Aoi really hiding his true strength?
But thinking more carefully, even if he had hidden it, why would he do it from the start? After all, there's no way Shohoku could've known in advance they'd face Sannoh in the nationals.
Unless… Shohoku could predict the future?
What they didn't know was...
After the prefectural tournament, Aoi's talent had fully synchronized—100%.
That was when his strength made a full leap forward.
So while he was still using the same techniques as seen in the tapes, the output was now entirely different.
That was exactly why Domoto Goro felt something was wrong.
Seeing that Sawakita still couldn't catch up, the rest of the Sannoh players rushed in to try and stop Aoi.
Fukatsu Kazunari found an opening and tried to cut him off from the side.
Aoi just gave him a cold glance. Then, with a smooth crossover and spin, he shot past Fukatsu like a whirlwind. His speed was jaw-dropping.
"So fast…" Fukatsu's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.
That speed—it was way faster than before.
Aoi didn't slow down at all. Like a raging beast, he stormed toward the three-point line.
He stepped straight into the paint.
Standing in his way were Kawata Masashi and Ichinokura Satoshi.
"Don't get cocky, punk!" Ichinokura shouted, trying to intimidate Aoi with sheer presence.
Aoi ignored him.
He stomped the floor and sprang up. His right hand raised the ball high, as if preparing for a shot.
Kawata Masashi and Ichinokura jumped too, arms extended, trying to block him.
But the next moment, Aoi suddenly dropped his raised arm, pulling the ball back to his chest.
Then, in one swift move, he slipped right through the gap between the two defenders.
"What?!"
Kawata Masashi and Ichinokura's eyes bulged, stunned by what just happened.
Before they could even recover from their shock...
BOOM!
Aoi slammed the ball through the hoop with his left hand. A clean one-handed dunk.
Just then, Sawakita Eiji came to a halt in front of Kawata and Ichinokura. His face was filled with frustration.
He hadn't caught up in time.
Shohoku 6 to 2 Sannoh Kogyo.
The whole arena went dead silent.