At 6 p. m., the Jousei High School basketball court was brightly lit.
Only a few hours had passed since that crushing defeat in the afternoon, where one player had single-handedly turned the tide.
Jousei's team members took showers, ate, and got plenty of rest.
The fatigue on everyone's faces completely disappeared.
Especially the Mikoshiba.
He sat in the locker room, his eyes frighteningly sharp.
The nightmare of the last five minutes of the afternoon played repeatedly in his mind like a revolving lantern.
Every steal, every shot, every point scored over his head by that red number 15.
It was like a slap in the face, a hard blow to the face of Shizuoka's top small forward.
"It's physical strength—"
Mikoshiba whispered to himself, and to his teammates who had gathered around him, "We played for thirty-five minutes this afternoon, and we were almost at our limit. He, however, was a fresh addition. That's why—"
He paused, then looked up, a blazing fire in his eyes. "This one's different! We've rested, our energy's back! From the very first minute, I'll have him glued to my side!"
"I want to see if he can still be so arrogant when both sides are evenly matched!"
"That's right!"
Center Iwata slammed his fist on the locker, making a dull thud.
"We were careless this afternoon, and his sudden appearance disrupted our rhythm. We need to bring out Jousei's true strength in this match!"
"Let the Kanagawa champions see what the true strength of a top-eight team in the nation is!"
"Right!"
"Take them down!"
A chorus of agreement rang out in the locker room, and morale seemed to be rekindled.
On the other side, in Shohoku's locker room.
Takenori Akagi looked at Kawamoto Kazuki, who was quietly tying his shoelaces, and felt very complicated.
The five-minute performance that afternoon, though breathtaking, was also like a bucket of cold water that instantly sobered him up as the team leader.
Is Shohoku really that strong this year?
Strong, of course it's strong.
With the return of Mitsui and Miyagi, the addition of Kaede Rukawa, the growth of Sakuragi, and his own support—
They swept through Kanagawa.
But what if we leave Kawamoto out of the picture?
The answer will be revealed in the first thirty-five minutes of the afternoon.
Despite their best efforts, they were still 8 points behind Jousei.
Without Kawamoto's godlike performance in the final five minutes, they would likely have lost.
Facing a nationally strong team, the other members of Shohoku, including himself, were still not up to par.
Their power is largely built upon the nuclear weapon that is Kawamoto.
This isn't the kind of power Akagi wanted.
What he wants is a strong team, where all five players can stand on their own, and where they can still win tough battles even without Kawamoto.
" Kawamoto..."
Akagi spoke, his voice steady. "In this match, you—"
"Captain Akagi."
Mikoshiba's voice rang out from the locker room door.
He changed into his jersey, walked in with a serious expression, and fixed his gaze directly on Akagi.
" Akagi, I lost the match this afternoon, and I accept it wholeheartedly. But I'm not reconciled."
37
"I want to know, assuming both sides are at their peak physical condition, what level would Kawamoto be at if he went all out?"
He walked up to Kawamoto and bowed slightly. "Please let me defend you from start to finish in this match. And please, don't hold back, give it your all."
"I want to see just how big the gap is between me and the top students in the country."
The locker room fell silent.
Everyone from Shohoku looked at Akagi and Kawamoto.
Akagi frowned.
His intention was to give Kawamoto a rest in this match and allow the other team members to take on more responsibility.
But Mikoshiba's request was so earnest, and it was a practice match—
Kawamoto up, looked at his opponent with burning eyes, and calmly nodded. "Alright."
Akagi sighed, knowing he couldn't refuse.
He looked at Kawamoto: "Then you decide for yourself. But remember, this is a practice match."
"Clear."
The match begins.
In the jump ball, Akagi still won possession for Shohoku.
Miyagi controlled the ball past half-court and habitually looked for Kawamoto.
However, Kawamoto did not take up a key position on the wing as usual.
Instead, he dropped to the low post, backed down Mikoshiba, who was sticking to him tightly, and reached out for the ball.
Miyagi was taken aback for a moment, then flicked his wrist and lobbed the ball in.
"From the very first ball?"
Mikoshiba felt a chill run down his spine, his muscles tensed, and he used all his strength to brace against Kawamoto's back.
He could feel a heavy force emanating from the other person's body, but not the feeling of being completely unable to resist that he had felt that afternoon.
Sure enough, when I have plenty of energy, I can hold on!
However, this thought had barely formed in his mind—
Kawamoto received the ball, turned his back slightly, and felt the force and center of gravity of Mikoshiba's resistance.
Then, using his left foot as a pivot, he performed an incredibly swift backward turn!
As he turned, there was a subtle but realistic upward sway in his right shoulder, and Mikoshiba's center of gravity subconsciously shifted upward for a moment.
It was in that very moment.
Kawamoto turned completely around, facing the basket, and pulled up for a fadeaway jump shot.
His jump height wasn't exaggerated, but his release point was extremely high, completely avoiding Mikoshiba's half-beat-slow block.
Mikoshiba stretched out his arm with all his might, but his fingertips were at least twenty centimeters away from the basketball that had just flown out.
"Whoosh!"
Hollow entry into the net.
2:0.
Clean, efficient, and without a single unnecessary movement.
From receiving the ball to scoring, it took less than two seconds.
Mikoshiba landed and looked at number 15, who was returning to defense with a blank expression, and her heart sank slightly.
That shot—we couldn't stop it.
It wasn't a lack of strength, but rather the opponent's rhythm, footwork, and shooting combination.
Too fast, too smooth, too unpredictable.
"It's okay. Here's another one."
Iwata shouted.
Jousei attacks.
They passed the ball around patiently, and finally Iwata made a strong shot under the basket against Akagi, scoring with a hook shot.
2:2.
Shohoku launches an attack.
The ball was passed to Kawamoto again.
This time, Mikoshiba pressed even closer, constantly interfering with her movements.
Kawamoto dribbled the ball with his back to the goal, then suddenly pivoted on his right foot, making a move to turn towards the baseline.
Mikoshiba quickly moved laterally to block the attack.
But Kawamoto's turn was just a feint; he quickly pulled the ball back and simultaneously turned his body sharply to the other side.
With a smooth, Dream Shake, he completely shook off Mikoshiba and easily slammed the ball into the basket.
4:2.
Mikoshiba was so badly faked out that he almost fell over, and watched helplessly as the ball went in.
"Hateful----"
He gritted his teeth.
In the next possession, Kawamoto received the ball beyond the three-point line.
Mikoshiba immediately pressed him, denying him any space to shoot.
Kawamoto dribbled with his left hand, then suddenly made a very quick inside-out dribble that misled him, followed by a sharp change of direction in front of his body.
With a powerful push of his right foot, he passed Mikoshiba by half a body length in one step and charged straight for the inside.
Mikoshiba chased after him desperately, but couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
Jousei Kawamoto help defense inside, but Kawamoto, moving at high speed, easily bypassed him with a Euro step without slowing down and scored with a layup.
6:2.
In the next round, Kawamoto made a run off the ball and, with the help of Rukawa's cover, shook off Mikoshiba.
Receives the ball at the top of the arc, then takes a slight jump and pulls up for a three-pointer!
Mikoshiba dodged the screen and lunged forward, his fingertips barely brushing the bottom of the basketball, but unable to change its trajectory.
"Whoosh!"
9:2.
Less than two minutes into the game, Kawamoto scored 9 points in a row, accounting for all of Shohoku's points.
Moreover, each goal is scored in a different way.
Facing Mikoshiba's all-out defense, he used various tactics: back-to-the-basket moves, face-up moves, three-pointers, and drives to the basket.
He can get whatever he wants with ease.
Mikoshiba was panting, and her eyes began to glaze over.
His prized defense was like paper against his opponent.
His opponent didn't even use any particularly fancy or violent moves; he simply used the most basic yet extremely fast rhythm to overwhelm him completely.
"No—impossible—"
Mikoshiba's inner voice screamed, "This afternoon it was because of stamina—why now—why can't I defend against it?"
Coach Jousei called a timeout.
The players looked very upset as they left the field.
Mikoshiba, in particular, was pale-faced, and his hair was soaked with sweat.
" Mikoshiba! Focus! Stay close to him! Don't give him any easy opportunities to strike!"
The coach gave instructions loudly.
Mikoshiba nodded vigorously and wiped his face hard with a towel.
It's not over yet!
I can still defend!