The basketball was swatted away hard by Hanamichi Sakuragi's overpowering chase-down block.
It hurtled toward the sideline.
Across the entire court, time seemed to have been paused.
Takenori Akagi, Kiminobu Kogure, Tetsushi Shiozaki...
All the upperclassmen, even Ayako and the others on the sidelines.
They all stared, dumbfounded, at Hanamichi Sakuragi, who still held his blocking pose.
His face was filled with the wild joy of having done it.
Everyone's mind went blank.
This beginner...
Had actually chased down and blocked the experienced Shiozaki from behind?
Yet while everyone was still reeling from Sakuragi's earth-shattering defensive play.
A figure had already taken off!
It was Kawamoto Kazuki!
To be precise, the instant Sakuragi leaped with all his strength to block the shot.
Or even earlier...
The moment Shiozaki got past Sakuragi and confidently jumped, he had already moved.
There was not the slightest hesitation in his first step, as though he had foreseen that Sakuragi would stop this shot.
More terrifying still, he had sprinted not toward where the basketball was, but toward where it was about to land!
Had he seen the future?
That explosive speed beyond all reason appeared once again.
Like a bolt of black lightning flying low over the floor, at the very last moment before the basketball went out of bounds.
He stretched out his long arm and actually hauled it back in!
The entire sequence flowed without the slightest pause.
Rather than saving a loose ball.
It looked more like a carefully planned combination play.
As though Sakuragi's seemingly reckless block had itself been an assist to Kawamoto.
"Defense!"
Akagi shouted.
Only then did the upperclassmen snap out of their daze and race back desperately!
But it was already too late!
After saving the ball, Kawamoto Kazuki's footwork never faltered.
He turned straight around, accelerated with his dribble, and tore toward the frontcourt.
"Get back! Hurry!"
Takenori Akagi roared, his eyes stretched wide with fury.
His massive body unleashed astonishing speed as he chased back with all his strength.
Yasuda and Shiozaki ran for their lives too.
But Kawamoto was simply too fast.
His dribbling sprint was like a hurricane, leaving the retreating defenders far behind, one after another.
Even Kaede Rukawa, whose forte was speed, had been a beat late this time because of his initial shock.
Though he was now chasing at full speed, he could only watch Kawamoto's figure pull farther and farther away!
Ahead lay another stretch of open court.
In the blink of an eye, Kawamoto Kazuki had charged inside the three-point line.
This time, Kaede Rukawa had failed to keep up, and there was no one to complete an alley-oop with him.
Facing an undefended basket, Kawamoto chose no flashy dunk to unleash his momentum.
After that full-speed sprint, his control of his rhythm was flawless.
He took the standard steps for a layup, rose lightly on his final step, and gave a gentle flick of his wrist...
The basketball spun through the net.
4-0!
"Damn it! What the hell are you doing?!"
Takenori Akagi's roar made the entire gym reverberate.
He glared at his panting teammates.
"You're getting beaten helpless by first-years! Is that acceptable?!"
"Focus! Don't let them score again!"
The upperclassmen's morale hit rock bottom, and everyone's face burned.
Yasuda inbounded from the baseline, trying to steady things.
He cautiously passed to power forward Satoru Kakuta, who was nearby to receive the ball and temporarily unguarded.
Kakuta had only just caught the ball and had yet to check his teammates' movements when a tall shadow loomed over him like a phantom!
It was Kawamoto Kazuki again!
He gave Kakuta practically no room to breathe, closing in on him in an instant.
His outstretched arms blotted out everything, coupled with his lowered center of gravity.
His defensive coverage was astonishingly broad, completely cutting off Kakuta's view of passing options and his driving lanes.
Pressure!
Immense pressure bore down on him!
Kakuta panicked at once.
What do I do?
Cold sweat seeped from Kakuta's forehead.
He felt like an insect caught in a spiderweb, unable to move.
Just then, Kawamoto moved.
His right hand shot out like lightning, swiping hard at Kakuta's right hand as it controlled the ball!
Damn it! Don't underestimate me!
Kakuta roared inwardly, instinctively switching the ball quickly to his left hand to evade the steal.
But-
That was precisely Kawamoto's trap!
Kawamoto's seemingly ferocious swipe had been nothing more than a convincing fake.
His real target was the instant Kakuta switched hands.
Almost the very moment Kakuta's left hand touched the basketball, Kawamoto's left hand chopped down with unerring precision...
Smack!
Another crisp sound as the ball was knocked free!
A steal!
A textbook defensive steal executed through anticipation and a fake!
Satoru Kakuta froze completely, his mind blank, and stood stunned for a full two seconds.
He simply could not understand how his movements could possibly have been read so thoroughly.
Kawamoto Kazuki paid no attention whatsoever to the dumbstruck Kakuta.
The instant he secured the steal, he adjusted his rhythm with a fluid between-the-legs dribble.
Without any hesitation, from a step beyond the three-point line, he rose straight up for a pull-up jumper!
His shooting form was still far from textbook.
But what was even more shocking was that the instant he landed.
Without even looking at the ball flying toward the basket, he had already turned and started jogging back toward his own half to defend!
As though the outcome of this shot had long since been decided!
Under everyone's gaze, the basketball traced a full, beautiful arc through the air from long range...
Swish!
Nothing but net!
The sound was crisp and sweet!
7-0!
The reserve team, a reserve team made up entirely of first-years at that, had actually gone up 7-0 against the upperclassmen's starting lineup!
A deathly silence settled over the basketball court.
A pin drop could have been heard.
The earlier disdain had long since vanished from the upperclassmen's faces, leaving only incredulous shock.
Takenori Akagi stared fixedly at Kawamoto Kazuki, who had quietly retreated to his own half without a trace of smugness on his face.
Towering waves surged within him.
This guy...
Steals, fast breaks, threes...
Defense, anticipation, shooting...
How could he possibly...
Be this strong?
This wasn't luck at all!
This was dominance!
Kiminobu Kogure adjusted his glasses, his hand trembling slightly.
Kawamoto...
He saw through everything...
Every pass we made...
Every intention was transparent to him...
He was terrifying...
Yasuda and Shiozaki exchanged looks, each seeing the same horror in the other's eyes.
Even the usually cold and aloof Kaede Rukawa pressed his lips tightly together.
Deep within his icy eyes, an unprecedented fire began to burn.
That steal just now...
That anticipation...
He felt his blood begin to simmer.
Meanwhile, Coach Anzai, who had been smiling cheerfully like Maitreya Buddha on the sidelines, had sat up straight at some point.
The habitual smile on his plump face had faded.
Behind his thick lenses, his previously narrowed eyes now gleamed with a light as sharp as a hawk's.
He stared intently at Kawamoto Kazuki on the court, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly against his knee.
With his incredible performance, this silent newcomer was redefining the practice game and violently challenging every spectator's understanding!