On the court.
Shohoku's momentum, which they barely built at the start, was crushed by Morishige Hiroshi's overpowering dunk.
Aoi Kunisaku looked at Morishige jogging back on defense. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he muttered, "Interesting."
A hint of intrigue flashed in his eyes. He seemed to be growing curious about Morishige.
Shohoku's ball.
Rukawa Kaede's sharp gaze locked on. He dribbled straight from Shohoku's half, charging like a red flash to the three-point line of Meihou.
With a series of quick direction changes, he shook off Morishima Ryoushi's defense.
As Rukawa reached Meihou's paint, Morishige's massive frame suddenly blocked his path like a wall, cutting off every angle.
Rukawa took a step back to create space. Then, without hesitation, he jumped for a shot.
But the next instant, Morishige came flying toward him like a magnetic force.
His huge body launched upward, arms swinging, about to swat the ball away with a powerful block.
Rukawa's shooting hand froze. His pupils shrank when he saw every path was sealed.
If he forced the shot, there was a high chance it'd get blocked.
His mind raced for options.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted a flash of red.
Without thinking, he twisted his wrist and hooked the ball toward the three-point line to the side.
Morishige raised his brow slightly, surprised by the sudden pass.
The ball flew out to the arc and landed in Mitsui Hisashi's hands.
Mitsui was surprised to receive it but didn't hesitate. He jumped and shot immediately.
His release was so quick that Daimon Saburou, who had been guarding him, didn't even have time to react.
By the time Daimon moved, the ball had already left Mitsui's fingers and was sailing toward Meihou's basket.
"Not good," Daimon cursed inwardly.
But just then, a large hand appeared and swatted the shot right out of the air.
"What?" Mitsui's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the tall, bulky figure in front of him.
The one who blocked the shot was none other than Morishige Hiroshi, who had just been midair against Rukawa.
The moment he landed, he had jumped again and successfully blocked Mitsui's shot.
"This guy…" Mitsui was stunned.
He jumped again immediately after landing?
How could any normal person do that?
More importantly, Morishige actually managed to intercept the shot.
Mitsui was frustrated but knew it was a clean block backed by pure strength. He could only accept it.
Morishige passed the ball to Morishima Ryoushi, who was now unguarded.
Morishima had already started running toward Shohoku's half the moment Morishige blocked Mitsui's shot.
Right now, he was far ahead of everyone else, sprinting at full speed with no Shohoku players around to stop him. It was the perfect fast break opportunity.
Morishima Ryoushi ran fast.
His goal was clear—to reach Shohoku's basket and put the ball through the rim.
In no time, he dashed into Shohoku's paint and stepped into the key.
Morishima leapt high, gripping the ball tightly in both hands. He was ready to slam it down hard. The motion was smooth, and he held nothing back.
But just as he jumped, a powerful gust swept past him like a sudden storm.
That burst of wind startled him. A sharp unease surged through his chest.
Before he could react, a strong hand sliced in from the side like a steel clamp.
Pa—!
A crisp, loud smack echoed across the court.
The ball in Morishima's hands shot away like a bottle cap flying off a shaken soda.
His heart skipped a beat. His face twisted in shock. The unexpected impact had completely stunned him.
He turned his head. His pupils shrank instantly. The one beside him wasn't just anyone—it was Aoi Kunisaku.
'When did he catch up?' Morishima couldn't make sense of it. He'd checked the court just moments ago. There hadn't been any sign of danger.
He hadn't seen it. But everyone else had.
They all saw it clearly. Aoi Kunisaku had surged forward like a red blur, catching up to Morishima at a speed that defied belief.
It was fast—shockingly fast. Like something beyond human ability.
The gym fell into a moment of stunned silence. Then it erupted with wild cheers.
"Oh my god! What was that just now? How did he run so fast?"
"I couldn't even see his feet. He really turned into a flash of red!"
"So that's the power of the 'strongest high school player'… That's insane!"
…
On the court.
After the clean block, Aoi Kunisaku landed steadily.
He didn't even glance at Morishima. His eyes locked onto the ball as it bounced away. Without pause, he dashed after it, feet flying, chasing it down.
Then, like a gust of wind, he streaked toward Meihou's half-court.
"Damn it." Morishima was frustrated. He tried to chase after him, but as soon as he took one step, he realized Aoi was already far ahead. All he could do was watch helplessly as Aoi disappeared into the distance, overwhelmed with disbelief.
Morishige Hiroshi was standing at midcourt. Seeing Aoi Kunisaku charging in like a missile, his eyes sharpened. He immediately gave up falling back and set up to defend right there at center court.
Aoi looked at the ready-and-waiting Morishige and smirked with a flicker of disdain in his gaze.
To him, Morishige standing there to defend had no chance of stopping him.
And he was right.
Aoi's speed didn't drop at all. He shot forward like a red blur and closed the distance instantly.
Then, a smooth crossover hand swap followed by a quick spin.
He blew right past Morishige with ease.
Morishige couldn't react fast enough. He could only watch as Aoi sped by him.
Aoi's speed was too much. Morishige couldn't even catch up with his eyes.
Swish—
The ball dropped through the net.
Shohoku scored again.
Shohoku 6 to 2 Meihou.
That one sequence—Aoi's max defense and counterattack—shook everyone watching.
It might have been the fastest counter they had ever seen.