"The situation is looking bad!" Ayako stared at the development of the game with a worried expression, unable to hold back her concern.
Kogure Kiminobu also looked anxious and suggested, "Should we call a timeout? Sannoh is clearly targeting Aoi. After drawing him away, another player takes over to score. It's really frustrating."
Miyagi Ryota seemed a bit nervous as he watched Aoi on the court and muttered, "That guy... he wouldn't just give up, would he?"
"Everyone, don't worry." Shimizu Kanon spoke up to reassure them. "This kind of strategy won't work against Saku-chan. And it's about to start now."
Start?
Ayako and the others were confused, not understanding Shimizu Kanon's meaning.
At that moment, it was Shohoku's turn to attack, and as expected, the ball landed in Aoi's hands.
The ball landed in Aoi's hands as expected.
The moment he caught it, Sawakita Eiji and Matsumoto Minoru immediately closed in on him, double-teaming him.
Facing the two of them, Aoi showed no sign of concern. Instead, a look of excitement and a smile appeared on his face.
Bang...
Bang...
Bang...
The sound of the basketball constantly bouncing on the ground echoed clearly.
All eyes were on these three players.
For a moment, the atmosphere on the court became tense, as if something big was about to happen.
Then, in the next moment...
Bang...
Another bounce of the basketball echoed.
Aoi moved.
He first made a rapid dribble, and the ball smoothly switched from his right hand to his left. Then, his body lunged to the right, making a move as if to break through.
Sawakita Eiji reacted quickly, stepping forward with his arms spread out, forming a wall to block Aoi's path.
But Aoi had no intention of breaking to the right. Instead, he spun and performed a behind-the-back hand swap, returning the ball to his right hand.
At the same time, his body twisted like a figure-eight, moving from right to left, making a beautiful C-shaped motion. He immediately changed his breakthrough direction from right to left.
Matsumoto Minoru saw the danger, his pupils constricting. He sprang into action, moving quickly to block Aoi's right side, fearing that Aoi would break through there.
Because of this, a gap formed between him and Sawakita Eiji.
Aoi's leftward breakthrough suddenly stopped. Then, he performed a quick crossover behind the back, switching the ball from his right hand to his left.
Next, he swiftly flicked his left hand, and the ball, like a cannonball, slammed into the gap between Sawakita Eiji and Matsumoto Minoru on the ground.
The series of movements were so fast, like lightning, flowing seamlessly. It was dizzying to watch—so fast that no one could blink in time.
Sawakita Eiji and Matsumoto Minoru couldn't keep up with the rhythm. Their bodies froze in place, standing motionless.
At this moment, with the ball no longer in his hands, Aoi became like a rocket that had just been lit. His speed shot up from 0 to MAX, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared from their sight.
In an instant, Aoi had ghosted around Matsumoto Minoru's back, reached out, and firmly caught the basketball that had bounced off the floor.
The super high-speed dribble appeared again.
Aoi had successfully shaken off Sawakita Eiji and Matsumoto Minoru's joint defense and was now heading straight toward Sannoh's basket.
Bang...
Bang...
Bang...
The sound of the basketball bouncing gradually faded away, leaving Sawakita Eiji and Matsumoto Minoru standing in place, their faces filled with shock.
"What the hell was that dribble?" Matsumoto Minoru's eyes were wide, his face full of disbelief. His expression was full of astonishment.
Sawakita Eiji's expression was no different.
They had studied Shohoku's game footage before, and they knew Aoi had used a super high-speed dribble.
But watching it on tape and experiencing it firsthand were two completely different things.
While watching the footage, they could analyze frame by frame, understanding Aoi's intentions and movements.
But now, their eyes couldn't track Aoi's movements, and their bodies couldn't react in time.
They realized that they had underestimated Aoi.
Sawakita Eiji felt a cold chill running from the soles of his feet to his head. Sweat instantly appeared on his forehead, and he silently cursed, 'This is bad.'
Oh...
Wow...
Hiss...
The audience outside the court all gasped in unison.
Some of them had seen the super high-speed dribble before, but seeing Aoi use it again made them shudder, their blood pumping with excitement.
Most of the audience and players from other schools had never seen Aoi's super high-speed dribble before. Their eyes were wide open, their mouths agape, filled with shock and awe.
What kind of dribble was that?
They had never seen anything like it before.
Aoi, with the ball in hand, became a red blur, charging into Sannoh's paint.
Caught off guard by Aoi's sudden approach, Nobe Masahiro jumped in surprise.
He rushed from the side, attempting to block Aoi's path.
But Aoi simply performed a behind-the-back dribble, then leaped to the left, easily bypassing Nobe Masahiro's position.
But the next moment, after dodging Nobe Masahiro, another figure appeared in front of Aoi—Fukatsu Kazunari.
Aoi, who was about to take the shot, immediately adjusted his movement.
He executed a sharp pullback with his left hand, aiming at the gap in Fukatsu Kazunari's defense, and swiftly released the ball with a flick of his wrist.
The Formless Shot was unleashed.
Whoosh...
The ball zipped past Fukatsu Kazunari's side and hit the backboard, then bounced into the basket.
Swish...
The crisp sound of the net echoed.
The ball went in.
Shohoku 43 – 42 Sannoh Kogyo.
The entire arena fell into a stunned silence.
Domoto Goro had already stood up from his seat.
He looked at the figure in Shohoku's #9 jersey, his face filled with shock.
Aoi's performance had completely surpassed his expectations.
The combination of super high-speed dribbling and the Formless Shot hit him harder in person than on the game footage.
At that moment, he realized just how terrifying an opponent Aoi truly was.
He had already greatly overestimated Aoi's talent and strength.
But he hadn't expected to still have underestimated him.
The other Sannoh players also widened their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief and shock.
Boom...
A roar of excitement and cheers erupted, shaking the entire arena.
"Oh... my... God! What was that? What kind of dribble was that?"
"I've never seen anything like it. That's incredible, truly amazing."
"Such a cool dribble, and the shot was just as impressive. I want to have his kids."
"Sawakita Eiji and Matsumoto Minoru couldn't even react, it's unbelievable."
...
"Shohoku... Shohoku... Shohoku..."
"Aoi... Aoi... Aoi..."
...
Aoi's stunning performance completely captivated the audience.
Fans who had previously supported Sannoh and other teams now turned to support Shohoku.
On the court.
The game continued intensely.
Hearing the cheers from Shohoku's fans, the Sannoh players felt a shadow of pressure.
Aoi's strength was placing immense pressure on them.
Fukatsu Kazunari fixed his gaze on Aoi, his expression serious. "His moves are unpredictable. Could it be that even Sawakita and Matsumoto can't stop him?"
Sannoh started to counterattack.
Sawakita Eiji and Matsumoto Minoru worked in sync, quickly advancing to Shohoku's three-point line.
This time, Aoi didn't go to block either Sawakita Eiji or Matsumoto Minoru but instead took a step back, bringing both into his field of vision.
Sawakita Eiji, waiting for Aoi's next move, was suddenly caught off guard.
For a moment, he couldn't decide whether to attack or pass the ball.
Considering his three-point shooting accuracy wasn't as good as Matsumoto Minoru's, Sawakita Eiji decided that passing the ball to Matsumoto Minoru was the best choice.
With that, Sawakita Eiji swiftly tossed the ball to Matsumoto Minoru.
Aoi's eyes suddenly flashed with a fierce, bloodthirsty aura, and his sharp, green gaze cut through the air toward the basketball passed by Sawakita Eiji.
Fukatsu Kazunari was stunned. "What... is this...?"
Fukatsu Kazunari's eyes widened in shock as he looked at Aoi. "Just like Sawakita..."
Nobe Masahiro's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Could it be...?"
Matsumoto Minoru blurted out, "It's the wild instinct... he has it too..."
In that instant, whether it was Shohoku's or Sannoh's players, everyone froze, their bodies stiffening, and their hearts tightened. A chilling sensation ran down their spines.
Especially Sawakita Eiji and Matsumoto Minoru, who felt like they were being intensely watched by a wild beast. The feeling of impending danger, of life and death, made their hearts skip a beat.
Whoosh...
Aoi, like a red lightning bolt, shot forward, aiming directly at the basketball passed by Sawakita Eiji.
In the eyes of the stunned Sawakita Eiji and Matsumoto Minoru, Aoi's form seemed like a ghost, flashing between them in the blink of an eye. Not only that, but the basketball flying through the air also disappeared without a trace.
So fast.
Sawakita Eiji and Matsumoto Minoru were shocked, unable to believe their eyes.
What had they just seen?
The ball had been intercepted mid-flight.
It was still so far away—how did he do it?
And that feeling...
Sawakita Eiji stiffly turned his head.
At that moment, the space ahead of Aoi was empty. In the blink of an eye, he was already under the basket.
He jumped high, holding the ball as he soared through the air and slammed it into Sannoh's basket.
Bang...
The ball went through the net.
Aoi scored again.
Shohoku 45 – 42 Sannoh Kogyo.