Fukuda's center patted their power forward on the shoulder.
"It's fine. We'll get it back."
The power forward nodded and ran toward the frontcourt.
Fukuda's point guard took the inbound, dribbled past half court, and cast a wary glance at Miyamoto Tokima and Shuzo Nijimura.
Their offense was terrifying—so overwhelming that he couldn't see even the slightest opening to defend.
Fukuda ran another set, and the ball eventually went back inside to the center.
Relying on experience and footwork, the center slipped past Atsushi Murasakibara and laid the ball in.
That completely infuriated Atsushi Murasakibara. Being scored on repeatedly right over his head was more than he could tolerate.
"Miyamoto …"
Atsushi Murasakibara called out to Miyamoto Tokima.
Miyamoto Tokima turned back, immediately sensing Murasakibara's mood, and nodded.
"Alright."
On the next possession, Miyamoto Tokima brought the ball over half court. There was no set play at all—he simply lobbed the ball straight into the paint to Atsushi Murasakibara.
Murasakibara caught it with his back to the basket, and Fukuda's center rushed up at once, bracing himself against him.
"I'm not letting you score that easily!!"
Feeling the resistance pressing hard against his back, Atsushi Murasakibara replied flatly,
"Oh."
The moment he finished speaking, he began to power forward, slamming his body into Fukuda's center again and again.
Thud!! Thud!!!
The sharp sound of muscle colliding rang out. Fukuda's center felt a dull pain explode in his chest. After several heavy impacts, he finally couldn't hold his ground anymore and staggered back a few steps.
Damn it… how can his strength be this ridiculous?!
Atsushi Murasakibara seized the opening, drove through his legs, and leapt high into the air.
Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain, Fukuda's center forced himself to jump as well, determined to stop the dunk.
"You're not getting away with it!!!"
He shouted, throwing both hands up to block the ball, the two of them locked in a fierce struggle mid-air.
Seeing that the center still dared to contest him, Atsushi Murasakibara's anger flared. He poured even more power into it, his expression turning terrifying.
A white gleam flashed in his eyes as he forced the dunk through with overwhelming strength.
BOOM!!!!!!
A deafening explosion echoed through the arena.
Both players came down—one still standing, the other slammed flat onto the floor.
Creak… creak…
The backboard shook violently, the rim rattling nonstop, trembling as if letting out a mournful cry.
Fukuda's center lay sprawled on the floor, completely flattened by Atsushi Murasakibara's dunk.
He looked up at Murasakibara towering over him, pain etched across his face, his emotions in turmoil.
Damn it… I was completely crushed by sheer strength.
Atsushi Murasakibara stared down at him, a savage glint flashing in his eyes.
"I'll crush you."
The center felt a predatory aura radiating from Murasakibara. His face went pale as he stared helplessly at the beast standing over him.
Fukuda's small forward and power forward hurried over to block Atsushi Murasakibara, afraid a fight might break out.
Fukuda's point guard rushed in to help the center up, then shot a guarded look at Murasakibara.
"What are you trying to do?"
Miyamoto Tokima ran over as well, pulling Atsushi Murasakibara away while apologizing awkwardly,
"Sorry about that. Atsushi is always like this."
With that, he dragged Murasakibara back on defense.
Seeing that no conflict broke out, the referee finally lowered the whistle from his mouth.
"You alright?"
The point guard asked.
Fukuda's center shook his head, signaling that he was fine.
For the rest of the quarter, Fukuda relied on near-suicidal defense and reckless offense, stubbornly keeping the score close with Teikō Middle School.
The first quarter ended at 24–17, with Teikō holding only a seven-point lead.
…
After a short break, the second quarter began.
Coach Fukuda still didn't put Kotaro Hayama back in. On Teikō's side, Coach Shirogane also kept Miyamoto Tokima on the bench, sending Seijuro Akashi in to take his spot.
Fukuda's momentum didn't fade, and they continued to cling tightly to the score. However, it was clear they had gone all out in the first quarter—by the second, their stamina dropped sharply.
Mistakes began to appear frequently on both offense and defense.
Teikō naturally seized the opportunity and launched immediate counterattacks.
Atsushi Murasakibara ravaged Fukuda's interior. Only when the power forward and center worked together could they barely slow him down.
But with the power forward constantly helping inside, Shuzo Nijimura was completely left open. After staying quiet for an entire quarter, Nijimura finally showed everyone his true strength, using flawless offense to prove exactly how he earned the title of No. 1 power forward in middle school.
Seijuro Akashi, with his perfect court vision, linked the entire team together, delivering the ball to teammates whenever they found an opening.
Shintaro Midorima showed no mercy at all—every time he caught the ball, it was a three, maintaining a terrifying 100% shooting percentage and single-handedly holding up Teikō's perimeter offense.
Daiki Aomine tore through Fukuda's small forward with excitement, slicing into the paint and releasing quick shots, his form gradually drifting toward the Formless Shot.
As the second quarter drew to a close, Teikō had stretched the lead to a full 18 points, pushing the score to 47–29.
Kotaro Hayama watched his coach anxiously. Every Teikō player was fully locked in, while Fukuda's team was completely spent, bending over and gasping for air.
Just trying to withstand Teikō's offense had already drained them of massive amounts of stamina.
Coach Fukuda looked on with a pained expression. His team was being torn apart with ease, as if they were being slaughtered on the court.
He turned to the anxious Kotaro Hayama and asked with difficulty,
"Kotaro, are you feeling better?"
Kotaro Hayama nodded repeatedly, saying urgently,
"Coach, I've already recovered. Please let me play."
Coach Fukuda let out a helpless sigh.
At this point, there was no other choice. He could only hope the loss wouldn't be too ugly.
He signaled the referee for a timeout. After Fukuda's players came off the court, he said,
"Kotaro, you're in. Replace the small forward."
Kotaro Hayama broke into a wide grin, showing his sharp canine tooth.
"Yes, Coach!"
Coach Shirogane glanced toward Fukuda's bench, took a calm sip of tea, and then said to Miyamoto Tokima,
"Tokima, you're in. Replace the small forward. Nijimura, you're out. Aomine will shift to power forward."
"Yes!"
Beep!!!
The timeout ended, and Miyamoto Tokima returned to the court.
When Kotaro Hayama saw Miyamoto Tokima check back in, his expression stiffened slightly.
Damn it… he's back again.
As if sensing Hayama's gaze, Miyamoto Tokima turned and met his eyes, then gave him a faint smile.
Coach Fukuda also noticed Miyamoto Tokima reentering the game. His expression darkened as he looked toward Coach Shirogane.
Shirogane… you did this on purpose, didn't you?
Coach Shirogane calmly sipped his tea, showing not a hint of urgency.
Of course it was intentional. With a defensive pillar like Miyamoto Tokima on his team, there was no reason not to use him.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser