"Ake…" Kobayashi Koichi passed the basketball straight to Ake.
Catching the ball, Ake scanned the court ahead as he slowly dribbled forward.
Thump… thump… thump… The steady sound of the basketball echoed across the gym.
To the players of Kyuuseki Middle School, it was just an ordinary rhythm — but to Seiyo's players, it was like the beat of a war drum, stirring hope and excitement.
Because they trusted Ake.
Dribbling past the half-court line, Ake was immediately met by Kyuuseki's point guard.
The opponent looked him up and down with a smirk.
"Is Seiyo out of players? They're sending out a kid like you?"
Ake didn't react, his calm eyes fixed on the defender.
Seeing that, Kyuuseki's point guard curled his lip and mocked, "Kid, not everyone can play point guard. Let me teach you how it's done!"
A smug grin spread across his face, as if Ake were an insect he could crush at any moment.
But Ake remained motionless.
Thump… thump… thump…
The basketball kept bouncing in his hands — until suddenly, it didn't.
The sound stopped.
Kyuuseki's point guard frowned. Something felt off.
'Why did the sound disappear?'
He quickly looked at Ake's hands — but the basketball was gone.
'Where's the ball?'
Before he could figure it out—
Thump! The sound of the ball hitting the floor came again… but from behind him.
"What—?!"
He spun around, eyes wide.
At some point, Kirihara Hayato had already received the ball and was sprinting toward Kyuuseki's basket — completely unguarded.
Hayato leapt up and laid the ball in.
Swish!
Seiyo 20 – 36 Kyuuseki.
"What just happened?"
"How did he pass that?"
"I didn't even see it!"
The Kyuuseki players stood frozen, bewildered.
Ake's calm voice broke the silence.
"So," he said, "did you learn how to be a good point guard?"
Kyuuseki's point guard snapped out of his daze, his earlier arrogance fading into anger.
He'd just been humiliated — after mocking his opponent.
"Pass me the ball!" he barked at his teammate.
He wanted payback.
When the offense switched, Kyuuseki's point guard charged forward with the ball.
Ake stayed composed, his expression unreadable.
"Don't get cocky, kid!" Kyuuseki's point guard sneered, making a quick crossover to fake it out.
But before he could react—
Slap!
A crisp sound rang out.
The ball was gone from his hands.
"What—?!"
Ake hadn't even moved from his spot. He simply raised his hand and cleanly intercepted the ball.
In an instant, Ake blew past him, dribbling toward Kyuuseki's basket.
"Damn it!" Kyuuseki's point guard cursed, giving chase.
Ake wasn't moving fast, and Kyuuseki's guard caught up quickly.
From the side, Kyuuseki's shooting guard also came charging in, ready to trap Ake from both sides.
But just as they thought they had him cornered—
Ake twisted his wrist and flicked his arm.
The basketball zipped right under the shooting guard's arm and bounced perfectly to Kobayashi Koichi behind them.
Kobayashi caught it, took two strong steps into the paint, jumped, and slammed it down.
Clang!
Seiyo 22 – 36 Kyuuseki.
"Damn brat," Kyuuseki's point guard growled through gritted teeth, glaring at Ake.
He'd been stripped clean — in front of everyone.
To him, it was pure humiliation.
Kyuuseki's players were stunned.
They all knew their point guard wasn't weak — maybe not elite, but definitely solid.
Yet this red-haired newcomer was making him look helpless.
At first, the crowd thought it was just a fluke.
But as the game went on, that illusion shattered.
Slap! Ake stole the ball again.
Slap! Another steal.
Slap! And again.
Kyuuseki's point guard couldn't do anything — not one clean dribble, not one successful pass.
Every move was read, every fake dismantled, every pass cut off.
He looked completely powerless, like a child playing against a pro.
The rest of Kyuuseki's players were speechless.
They'd never seen anyone with such terrifying defensive instincts.
From the moment Ake stepped onto the court—
He hadn't missed a single steal.
Even the Seiyo players were astonished. They'd seen Ake dominate during practice, but not like this. This was something else.
And his passing — that was just as insane.
No one could predict where the ball would go. Every pass came out of nowhere — effortless, invisible.
Ake didn't even look where he was throwing; his no-look passes made it seem like he had eyes all around his head.
Kyuuseki's point guard was made a fool of again and again, spinning in circles while the ball vanished before his eyes.
Whoosh!
Another pass zipped right past him before he even realized it.
By the time he turned, the ball was already in Sendoh's hands.
Sendoh dashed to the rim and finished with a smooth layup.
Ake assist +1.
Beep!
When the halftime buzzer sounded, the score lit up: Seiyo 58 – Kyuuseki 40.
The crowd fell silent for a moment — then erupted.
Seiyo had been down by 18 points before Ake entered the game.
Now, they were leading by 18.
The unbelievable turnaround left everyone speechless.
Kyuuseki's point guard walked off the court in a daze — his expression hollow, his spirit shattered.
"Who is that guy?"
"He's so strong!"
"Did you see that red hair? He's actually kind of hot…"
"He must be Seiyo's new player this year — they're unstoppable now."
The chatter spread quickly, reaching even the players from other schools watching in the stands.
And they were all thinking the same thing.
With Sendoh and now Ake… Seiyo had become a terrifying team.
The halftime break passed in a blur.
When the second half began, there was no suspense.
Kyuuseki's point guard couldn't get anything going. Their offense fell apart without a leader.
Meanwhile, Seiyo like an engine, went full throttle.
The team's energy surged, their passes smooth and attacks relentless.
And when the final buzzer rang—
Seiyo 132 – Kyuuseki 77.
A complete demolition.
The shocking score spread like wildfire across the entire middle school basketball circuit.
After all, this was the quarterfinals — and Seiyo had won by 55 points.
Their strength was undeniable.
And with that, Seiyo Middle School advanced to the semifinals.