Stands.
The entire crowd was stunned by Aoi Kunisaku's unbelievable Formless Shot.
Some in the audience had seen his unique playstyle before, but for others, it was their first time.
But either way, right now, everyone's face was written with shock and disbelief.
"There it is—the Formless Shot!"
"Didn't expect him to use it this early. Every time I see it, it's unreal."
"So that's the Formless Shot? There was no angle at all! And it still went in!"
"He shot it so easily. Two defenders on him, and it looked like nothing."
…
The chatter was endless. Shocked voices buzzed throughout the stands. Their eyes were full of awe and admiration for Aoi Kunisaku.
On the court.
Morishige Hiroshi landed steadily, calmly looking toward Aoi. He didn't show much surprise despite the amazing shot just made.
"Oh, so that's your shot? When I saw it before, I thought it'd be easy to block."
The Shohoku players heard him and looked confused.
Mitsui Hisashi frowned and muttered, "What is he talking about? That kind of shot—no way it's easy to block."
Akagi Takenori also frowned slightly, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
"He looks way too calm…"
Meihou bench.
Coach Nomoto Reizou furrowed his brow and stared hard at Aoi Kunisaku. He thought to himself,
"Formless, huh? That's a real pain to deal with."
Transition.
Meihou began their counterattack.
Nakayama Tenri charged ahead with the ball. Just past half-court, he was blocked by Sakuragi Hanamichi.
But when it came to basketball skill, Sakuragi was no match for Nakayama yet. In just a few seconds, Sakuragi's defense crumbled.
Nakayama relied on his precise technique and smoothly brought the ball to Shohoku's three-point line.
He kept his cool, eyes sharp, scanning the court carefully. Instead of forcing his way in, he casually lobbed the ball high toward Shohoku's paint. The motion was natural and practiced, like he'd done it a thousand times before.
Akagi's eyes sharpened as the ball arced overhead. He bent his knees slightly, fully focused, ready to leap.
But just then, a huge shadow suddenly swallowed his view.
Morishige Hiroshi's massive frame loomed in front of him like a towering mountain, blocking out the light.
Using explosive power, Morishige launched into the air before Akagi could react. Like a black flash, he caught the ball mid-air and brought it under control with ease.
'So high,' Akagi thought, completely stunned. He even forgot to jump.
Morishige came down smoothly with the ball in hand.
Akagi snapped back to his senses and rushed forward, body tense, preparing to block Morishige's attack.
The next second, Morishige spun like a cyclone. He stomped hard, then leapt again. His huge frame rose like a collapsing mountain, roaring straight toward Shohoku's rim.
Akagi Takenori didn't back down. Every muscle in his body was tense, ready to take Morishige Hiroshi's hit.
Boom…
A deep thud echoed across the court as the two finally collided.
What should have been an even clash turned one-sided in an instant.
Akagi felt a massive force crash into him like a speeding truck. His whole body was thrown backward uncontrollably.
Thankfully, his sturdy frame and solid weight helped. Just as his feet left the ground slightly, he forced himself to stabilize and land again.
Thud thud thud…
Akagi staggered backward, unable to stop.
Thump…
A second later, he completely lost balance and landed hard on the court with a thud.
Meanwhile, Morishige Hiroshi was already in the air above Shohoku's paint.
He raised the ball high with both hands and slammed it toward the rim.
Clang…
A thunderous sound shook the arena as Morishige threw the ball down into Shohoku's basket.
Shohoku 4 – 2 Meihou.
The whole place went silent.
Shohoku's players stood stunned, eyes fixed on the scene.
They couldn't believe what they just saw.
Akagi Takenori had been knocked flying by Morishige.
Considering they were nearly the same build, the fact that Akagi was sent flying showed just how powerful Morishige's dunk was.
Everyone on Shohoku started imagining what would've happened if one of their skinnier teammates had taken that hit instead.
Yikes…
Just picturing it gave them chills.
Akagi's mind was blank. He was still in shock, trying to process what had just happened.
He knew Morishige was tough. He'd mentally prepared for it before the game.
But even so, he didn't expect to end up like this.
Tweet…
A sharp whistle suddenly broke the silence.
The referee pointed at Akagi, still sitting on the floor, and called out loudly, "Shohoku Number 4, blocking foul. Basket counts. One free throw."
Shohoku's faces changed instantly. Akagi's expression turned dark. He didn't even remember making any foul contact.
On the bench.
Kogure Kiminobu's voice shook as he said, "I-It's crazy… Akagi just got knocked over. Morishige's power really is insane. But isn't that foul kind of a stretch? I thought Akagi was just defending normally."
Ayako frowned, trying to recall the moment clearly. She wasn't sure if Akagi had committed a foul either.
Then Shimizu Kanon spoke up to explain, "This one could've gone either way. But Akagi-senpai was a bit too close. From the referee's angle, it probably looked like a foul."
"What the heck… Doesn't that put us at a huge disadvantage?" Ayako said angrily.
But Kanon stayed calm and replied softly, "There's no such thing as absolute fairness in a game. Every referee calls it differently. Even if we argued, it wouldn't change anything."
Hearing Kanon's reasoning, Ayako and Kogure sighed.
They understood, of course. It was just that Morishige's overwhelming play had rattled them.
If it kept up like this, Akagi Takenori would be in real trouble.