"Wow! Scored just like that. Aoi Kunisaku really is something."
"That speed was insane. He stole the ball clean."
"Did you see? No one from Aiwa Gakuen caught up. He even pulled away from them."
"So that's Aoi Kunisaku? He's crazy strong!"
...
Right from the start, the crowd's excitement was set ablaze by that sudden Slam Dunk.
But for the players of Aiwa Gakuen, that scene dropped into their hearts like a heavy stone, weighing them down even more.
Moroboshi Dai clenched both fists tight. His knuckles turned pale from the force. The storm in his chest wouldn't settle.
It was just one exchange, but he saw it clearly.
The gap between them was widening.
He knew exactly what that meant.
And he wasn't even holding the ball at the time.
'Just how fast is that Aoi Kunisaku?!'
Moroboshi Dai took a deep breath. He tried to calm his pounding heart. At the same time, his wariness toward Aoi deepened.
Switch to offense.
The players of Aiwa Gakuen were clearly cautious now. They all feared Aoi Kunisaku.
But Aiwa Gakuen was still a seasoned powerhouse. Their players weren't weak.
They handled the offensive tempo well. Through smooth coordination, they quickly advanced to Shohoku's basket.
Shohoku tightened their defense, trying to stop the attack.
Then Moroboshi Dai seized the moment. He slipped past Mitsui Hisashi and looped out from Shohoku's paint.
He found himself completely open. No one marked him.
Aiwa's center was about to force a shot but saw his captain free. Without hesitation, he passed the ball over.
The ball landed right in Moroboshi's hands.
He didn't hesitate.
He pushed hard off the floor and leapt high, releasing the shot.
Whoosh...
The ball flew through the air on a clean arc.
Swish...
It sank through the net with a crisp, clean sound.
Aiwa Gakuen 3, Shohoku 2.
Mitsui Hisashi muttered to himself with some respect, "No wonder they call him Aiwa's Star. He's no joke. But... I won't lose to you."
Shohoku's possession.
Mitsui called for the ball.
Once he had it, he dribbled fast to the three-point line.
But he couldn't get a clean look.
Moroboshi Dai was locked onto him.
Both shooting guards clashed head-on. It became a back-and-forth struggle.
But it didn't last long.
Mitsui soon lost the exchange.
Moroboshi snatched the ball from him and sprinted toward Shohoku's basket.
"Damn it!" Mitsui growled, full of frustration, and chased after him.
Moroboshi sensed Mitsui closing in. He didn't try to finish it himself. He passed instead.
Out of the corner of his eye, he found a teammate and bounced a clean Pass to the point guard.
Aiwa's point guard saw that Shohoku's defense hadn't caught up. He quickly raised the ball and shot.
Just as the ball left his hand, Miyagi Ryota finally arrived.
He jumped and reached out, trying to contest the shot.
But the ball sailed just over his fingertips.
Under the hopeful eyes of Aiwa Gakuen's players—
Clang...
The ball hit the rim and bounced out.
The sound echoed across the court.
The faces of Aiwa Gakuen's players showed clear disappointment.
'No way...?'
The point guard stood frozen. He stared at Miyagi in disbelief.
Miyagi raised his right hand and smirked.
"Heh... Your shot was way too slow."
Aiwa Gakuen's point guard frowned slightly but didn't say anything.
"Ah—"
Akagi Takenori let out a loud shout as he grabbed the rebound. He quickly tossed the ball to Aoi Kunisaku.
Aiwa Gakuen's power forward rushed over to block Aoi.
But Aoi didn't even glance at him. He took one explosive step, and his speed jumped from zero to max in an instant.
His body blurred like a phantom. He vanished from the defender's view.
The power forward froze. His eyes widened in shock, his face filled with disbelief.
He hadn't even reacted.
Bounce…
Bounce…
Bounce…
The sound of the ball hitting the floor echoed across the court.
Moroboshi Dai saw this and immediately left Mitsui Hisashi to try to stop him.
The rest of Aiwa Gakuen's players also rushed to defend.
Aoi Kunisaku didn't slow down at all. He glided past Moroboshi like a streak of red light.
Moroboshi felt the gust of wind brush across his face. His whole body tensed.
'So fast.'
He was stunned. He couldn't keep up with Aoi at all.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, and even caught the afterimage with his eyes, his body still couldn't react.
After getting past Moroboshi's defense, Aoi charged straight into Aiwa Gakuen's paint.
Without hesitation, he took a long step and leapt for a layup.
Just then, two defenders stepped in, trying to block his shot.
"Nice block!" Moroboshi's heart surged with hope.
But the next moment froze that excitement on his face.
Right in front of the two defenders, Aoi raised his left arm to shield them. His right hand held the ball and pulled into a graceful layup motion.
He flicked his wrist.
The ball slipped just past the defenders' outstretched hands and dropped clean through the hoop.
Swish…
Nothing but net.
Shohoku 4 – 3 Aiwa Gakuen.
It all looked so casual, so effortless.
'Damn it.'
The two Aiwa defenders cursed in frustration.
They had clearly blocked his vision, but he still scored.
'Was that the legendary Formless Shot?'
But they were wrong.
That was just a regular hook shot.
It's just that Aoi Kunisaku's feel for the game was far beyond normal. Even with his vision blocked, he could still aim and score like it was nothing.
Switch again.
Aiwa Gakuen advanced to Shohoku's three-point line.
The ball went back to Moroboshi Dai.
Using a screen from a teammate, he finally broke free from Mitsui Hisashi.
Moroboshi jumped, ready to shoot.
But right then, a hand flashed into view.
The moment he lifted the ball, it was swatted away.
"What?!"
His chest tightened. He followed the arm and saw that cold, focused face—
Aoi Kunisaku.
Aoi didn't hesitate.
The second he blocked the shot, he blasted off like an arrow, dribbling full-speed toward Aiwa's basket.
No one got in his way.
He charged all the way into the paint.
He leapt, raised both arms, and slammed the ball into the rim.
Clang!
Another clean dunk into Aiwa's hoop.
Shohoku 6 – 3 Aiwa Gakuen.
Silence fell over Aiwa Gakuen's bench.
Tweet…
The whistle blew.
Aiwa Gakuen called for a timeout.