Whoosh!
On the edge of the three-point line, Midorima Shintaro's release was lightning-fast. Almost in an instant, the ball had already been lifted above his head and launched skyward.
But the moment it left his fingertips, a massive hand suddenly appeared above it.
"With a shot like that, you won't be breaking through my defense, Midorima!"
SMACK!
A solid block sent the ball crashing down from the sky.
For a split second,
The entire gym went silent in shock.
Shutoku's players, especially, stared wide-eyed in utter disbelief.
"Impossible!"
"He… he actually blocked Midorima."
When Akashi first stepped onto the court, Shutoku's players had already been startled by his towering height. But whether he could really stop Midorima, that had always been a big question mark.
The reason was simple.
Stopping Midorima required far more than just height.
If it were only about being tall, then the "Generation of Miracles" wouldn't be worth the name.
Though Midorima was best known for his three-point shooting, his dribbling, interior defense, and rebounding skills were all top-notch, he was an all-around player.
To deal with a monster like that, just being a big oaf wasn't enough.
You needed solid fundamentals, quick reflexes, agility, and above all, elite jumping ability.
Akashi Asuka now stood 205 cm tall, but in truth, that was only ten centimeters taller than Midorima.
If his vertical leap had been the same as it was back in middle school, then even at this height, Akashi wouldn't have been able to block Midorima today.
"Looks like this guy isn't just some big dumb brute!"
"Of course not. How could that guy possibly be a dumb brute?" Takao Kazunari forced a crooked grin, cold sweat sliding down his cheek. "Captain, I think I just remembered who he is."
"Hm? Takao, you know that guy?" Otsubo Taisuke asked in surprise.
"Yeah. I only saw him once, from the stands, but what he did in that game… I don't think I'll ever forget it in my life. After all… that guy once overpowered the entire Generation of Miracles all by himself!"
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That single block broke Shutoku's attack, and Seiho immediately seized the ball for a fast break.
A long pass sailed over two-thirds of the court before Shutoku even reacted, and Seiho was already under the basket, converting an easy two points.
32–25.
"They're really putting a lot of trust in this new No. 11… Did they already know he could block Midorima's shot?"
Shutoku began their next possession.
With Akashi glued to Midorima, they avoided passing to their ace, opting instead to attack from inside.
With Otsubo Taisuke anchoring them, Shutoku's interior play was still among the nation's best.
Unfortunately for them, their opponents also had a top-tier center, Seiho's Tsutomu Iwamura. And because the two teams were in the same regional bracket, these two had already faced each other countless times.
Otsubo had the height advantage, but in terms of strength, Iwamura was the stronger one.
Shutoku tried again and again to score inside.
But Otsubo couldn't find the right angle to attack, and finally had to pass it back out of the paint. Power forward Kimura Shinsuke took the ball and managed to get two points.
34–25.
"Whoa~ this might be the first time I've seen Otsubo-senpai struggle to score inside!"
Though they still managed to finish the possession, the difficulty of those two points shocked Shutoku's younger players.
Since joining the team, they had never seen their senior trio pushed this hard.
"Idiot, this is Seiho's true strength. Even without Midorima, they're still one of Tokyo's Three Kings!"
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Seiho took the ball.
Kasuga Ryuhei brought it over half-court, while Akashi Asuka headed straight into the paint. The moment Akashi was in position, Kasuga passed to Tsugawa Tomoki.
Without hesitation, Tsugawa pulled up for a shot.
"Not on my watch!"
Miyaji Kiyoshi reached up to block it. The contest threw Tsugawa's shooting motion completely off-balance, but even so, he still flung the ball toward the hoop.
"No way that's going in," Miyaji said with certainty.
"Idiot. This isn't about shooting percentage. If it goes in, great. If not… someone else will put it in for me!" Tsugawa grinned.
Just as Miyaji predicted, the shot's arc was completely off, it was clearly going to be a rebound.
Otsubo and Kimura both moved in to secure position, but the very instant they stepped forward, Akashi took one giant stride.
THUD!
It was like a boulder dropping into place. He locked down the prime position under the basket, and no matter how much Otsubo or Kimura pushed, they couldn't budge him an inch.
"You've gotta be kidding… is his body made of stone?"
Shutoku's big men exchanged grim looks.
With the skill Positioning – Unmoving Mountain from the "Shaquille O'Neal" template, Akashi dominated the paint. One small hop, and he plucked the rebound cleanly from the air.
Then he went straight back up,
BOOM!
Another powerful dunk shook the rim to its core.
34–27.
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"So strong!"
The exclamation didn't come from Shutoku, it came from Kitayama Yuzuki.
Watching Akashi tear through the court, Kitayama's eyes glazed slightly. "I figured Seiho's defense would improve once Akashi joined their system… but I didn't think they'd become this strong."
"Especially their interior. With Iwamura already there as a top-tier center, adding Akashi makes Seiho's inside game practically unstoppable."
Since joining the team, he had played plenty of intrasquad scrimmages, but this was the first time he had seen Seiho's new lineup tested against another school in an official game.
Shutoku had wanted to gauge their power after adding Midorima.
Seiho, in turn, wanted to test themselves after adding Akashi.
And so far, both sides had gotten good answers, but which was truly stronger… would be decided in the second half.
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Note: Positioning – Unmoving Mountain – A skill inspired by NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal's dominance in the paint, allowing absolute rebounding control.