In the early-morning gym.
There were only two figures and the monotonous thud of a basketball.
Takenori Akagi had prepared a detailed lesson plan.
He intended to start with the most basic stance for establishing position under the basket.
How to bend the knees and lower the hips...
How to use footwork to claim an advantageous position...
How to use the backside to sense an opponent's center of gravity.
He was just about to speak when he unexpectedly noticed something.
Kawamoto Kazuki already had his feet spread apart, his center of gravity naturally lowered.
His arms were slightly extended, and that stance...
It actually carried a faint air of unshakable stability.
It was perfectly textbook. There was no need for him to explain the essentials of positioning at any length.
For an instant, Akagi had an illusion.
It was as though he wasn't facing a newcomer like Kawamoto Kazuki.
But a top-class center like Uozumi or Hanagata.
Yet when Kawamoto began trying to move, that clumsiness appeared again.
His footwork became sluggish, and his turns carried an unnatural stiffness.
Akagi frowned, attributing this oddity to the coordination problems common among beginners.
"Kawamoto, when establishing position under the basket, the most important thing is core strength, especially stability through your waist and lower body!"
"Your lower body has to be rooted to the floor!"
As Akagi spoke, he demonstrated the proper stance.
His legs were planted firmly on the floor like massive pillars. Leaning his upper body slightly forward, he patted his side.
"Come on, try pushing against me from behind. Get a feel for how to apply force."
"Push hard. Don't worry about knocking me over!"
"Yes, Captain."
Kawamoto answered quietly.
He walked behind Akagi and hesitated, his expression suggesting that he really was afraid of hurting him.
So he made no charging motion, merely following Akagi's instructions.
He steadily pressed his body weight forward.
With his waist and hips.
Against Akagi's back.
He leaned into him with neither too much nor too little force.
That was right!
Just a lean!
After all, there was nothing remotely rough about Kawamoto's movement.
Yet at the instant they made contact...
Takenori Akagi...
Shohoku's towering pillar!
One of Kanagawa Prefecture's foremost power centers!
All he felt was an overwhelming surge of force coming from behind!
That wasn't a force human muscles could possibly unleash!
It was more like an out-of-control heavy truck.
Bearing down with unstoppable momentum.
And slamming squarely into him!
"Ugh!"
Akagi couldn't hold out for even half a second.
His lower body was instantly uprooted.
His massive frame, weighing over ninety kilograms, spun completely out of control.
His whole body stumbled forward.
His feet scrambled futilely against the floor a few times.
In the end, he still landed flat on his back with a solid thud!
Dead silence filled the gym.
Akagi lay on the floor, his mind blank.
He stared in disbelief at the gym's high ceiling, feeling every bone in his body groan.
Wh... what the fuck just happened?!
A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.
His strength was among the best in all of Kanagawa Prefecture.
Even across the entire nation's high school basketball scene, he was confident he could match anyone!
Even Shoyo's Toru Hanagata...
Or Ryonan's Jun Uozumi...
Could never have knocked him down so cleanly in a contest of pure strength!
But just now...
That last push...
He hadn't even felt Yamamoto make much of an effort, yet he had been like a fallen leaf swept up by a gale.
Utterly powerless to resist!
This was ridiculous!
So ridiculous that it exceeded everything he understood about basketball and human strength!
Was...
Was I just too careless?
Yes, that had to be it!
I wasn't taking it seriously at all!
Akagi sprang to his feet with a kip-up, his face burning.
Both from the fall and from embarrassment.
His expression grew more serious than ever, fierce fighting spirit blazing in his eyes.
"I let my guard down! Again!"
He let out a low growl.
This time, he no longer confined himself to a standard basketball defensive stance.
Instead, he sank into a horse stance that almost resembled a martial arts pose.
Every muscle in his body tensed like iron, veins bulging at his temples.
He poured all his strength, weight, and will into his feet.
Only one thought remained in his mind.
I have to hold my ground, no matter what!
"Captain..."
Kawamoto hesitated as he watched Akagi brace himself as though facing a formidable enemy.
"Enough talk! Hit me with everything you've got!"
Akagi roared, his voice slightly distorted by the extreme exertion.
Kawamoto pressed his lips together and had no choice but to step forward again.
This time, he added just a little more force, still leaning forward steadily with his waist and hips.
Thump!
A muffled impact rang out.
There was no suspense.
It was even more decisive than the last time.
Akagi's horse stance collapsed in an instant.
His entire body bounced backward as lightly as a ball that had been kicked away.
Once again, he slammed heavily onto the floor.
He even slid a short distance.
His all-out resistance seemed so laughable before that absolute strength.
There was no explosive clash of straining muscles.
No evenly matched struggle for supremacy.
This was utterly overwhelming power.
Akagi lay on the ground. This time, he didn't get up immediately.
He gazed at the ceiling, his chest heaving violently.
He gasped for breath, not because of the pain.
But because of extreme shock and an indescribable excitement.
The sensation coursed through his entire body like an electric current!
This...
This strength!
This was nothing short of monstrous talent!
A treasure bestowed upon basketball by the gods!
He had never felt such domineering strength from anyone!
This had already gone beyond the realm of technique.
It was a brute, unreasonable kind of divine strength!
Looking at the captain he had knocked down again, Kawamoto wore an expression of genuine apology.
He hurried forward and held out a hand to help Akagi up.
"Captain, I'm terribly sorry!"
"Are you all right? Maybe... we should try a different kind of training?"
"No-!!"
Akagi abruptly seized Kawamoto's outstretched hand and used it to pull himself upright.
His voice trembled slightly with excitement, his eyes fixed intently on Kawamoto!
"What do you mean, a different kind?!"
Akagi's voice boomed like thunder through the empty gym.
"Kawamoto! Your talent... no, this isn't even talent anymore!"
"This is divine strength! A gift from God! You were born for the area under the basket! You exist to play center!"
An irrepressible passion filled Akagi's heart.
It was as though he could already see.
Once this uncut gem mastered real basketball skills.
What kind of storm he would unleash on the court!
When that time came, no one else would have a say under Kanagawa's baskets!
No, not just Kanagawa!
But on the stage of the entire national tournament!
Those so-called powerhouse teams, those renowned centers, would all pale before this absolute strength!
"Listen, Kawamoto!"
Akagi pressed his hands firmly onto Kawamoto's shoulders, his tone more solemn and eager than ever. "From today onward, I'll give everything I have to coaching you!"
"You have to stay! You have to play basketball! Your future... has no limits!"