The match began.
Rakuzan starters: Akashi Seijuro, Mibuchi Reo, Hayama Kotaro, Mayuzumi Chihiro, Nebuya Eikichi.
Except for Mayuzumi Chihiro, who had no appearance record, this Rakuzan lineup was indeed luxurious to the extreme, with no weaknesses to be found.
Of course.
Seiho was not bad either; starting five: Ryuhei Kasuga, Tomoki Tsugawa, Yuuto, Giichi Omuro, Tsutomu Iwamura.
Tsutomu Iwamura was one of the best centers in Tokyo. In terms of seniority, he, Taisuke Otsubo, and Teppei Kiyoshi were arguably the two (three?) most famous, with Teppei Kiyoshi even slightly behind.
Ryuhei Kasuga, as the team's former top scorer, averaged over 20 points per game, excellent in both offense and defense, also a star player.
Tomoki Tsugawa, although a first-year, had already produced his masterpiece last year, freezing Kise Ryota of the Generation of Miracles in a single game.
Yuuto needed no introduction; he had been hailed as the strongest in the country since the third year of junior high.
Both teams, except for Mayuzumi Chihiro and Giichi Omuro, were respectable players nationwide.
"So luxurious."
"Yeah, such lineup strength; just hearing the names tells you how strong they are."
"This is the configuration of the top national powerhouses."
Seirin people were all sighing with emotion, little knowing their own configuration was equally heaven-defying.
Match started.
Jump ball segment.
Tsutomu Iwamura concentrated fully, squatting down, meeting the opponent.
"The last Nationals, huh."
In the past week, he had an important conversation with Ryuhei Kasuga, Giichi Omuro, and other players.
Unknowingly, they were all third-years, reaching the end of their high school careers.
Looking back, since joining Seiho, they had always called themselves Kings, proud of being able to join Seiho.
However.
As Yuuto said, they had no championship; the so-called King title was unworthy of the name.
The real King was in Kyoto.
That night they talked a lot, about their mediocrity in the past two years. They also talked about the bold ambitions they made after joining Seiho, to dominate the country.
In the end, two years passed, and they still achieved nothing.
But...
"The opportunity is right in front of us."
This was what Ryuhei Kasuga said that night.
"The chance for us to turn from fakes into the real deal is right in front of us."
Yes.
The opportunity had arrived. To become a genuine King, Iwamura let go of everything.
He even handed over the position of Seiho Basketball Club captain, which he was most proud of, to Yuuto.
To be able to devote himself fully to the match.
Today's opponent was hard to deal with, one of the Uncrowned Kings, Nebuya Eikichi, known as "Muscle Dharma" (Brute Force).
Hearing the nickname, one could tell this was a player of the same type as himself.
However.
"No unease. We have become stronger and have trustworthy companions. Seiho is no longer my team; my job is to defeat the person in front of me."
Thinking so in his heart, the referee blew the whistle, tossing the ball high into the air.
Next second.
"Ah!"
"Hah!"
Iwamura and Nebuya jumped almost simultaneously.
Similar height, similar type, both around 1.9 meters tall, and both centers combining strength and mobility in the same style.
"What amazing concentration!"
From the audience's perspective, Nebuya and Iwamura grasped the timing of the jump just right, neither too much nor too little, simply impeccable.
Then.
Smack!
Iwamura won the jump ball, slapping the ball heavily towards Yuuto's direction.
Akashi turned around immediately, reminding his teammates at the same time, "Get back on defense!"
Smack!
The moment Yuuto received the ball, Rakuzan completed their positioning like a well-trained army.
Everything was completed almost instantly; the tactical execution was incredible.
"The strongest team, huh." Yuuto looked at Akashi in front.
This Rakuzan possessed stronger individual ability than Tōō, and also tactical execution not losing to Shutoku; impeccable in all aspects.
But a basketball match was never a sport of comparing paper strength.
"Let's begin, Yuuto!"
As soon as the words fell, Ryuhei Kasuga and the others had crossed half-court with Yuuto, stepping into Rakuzan's position.
They were murderous, their fighting spirit almost tangible.
Rakuzan was unwilling to lag behind, immediately finding their marked targets, strongly adopting a one-on-one man-to-man strategy.
The referee on the sideline showed a look of seeing a ghost.
"Is this really a high school match?"
The chilling atmosphere spread, suppressed to the extreme, seemingly about to explode at any time.
"It's starting."
"Look!"
In the second-floor stands, Momoi and the others stopped talking, their expressions becoming serious.
In the North Seiho fan stand, Sora came to the scene with Haruka Kasugano today, mixed among them; he brought 3 girls with him.
This guy, neither refusing nor taking responsibility, looked extremely like a scumbag.
It is worth mentioning that Yuuto's good friend in Okushirazome, Akira Mottosua (likely reference), also came to the scene to cheer for Yuuto.
She once had strange thoughts about Yuuto, but after discovering his relationship with Sora, she silently chose to leave.
Now.
She still stayed in Okushirazome for high school, continuing her music studies.
Look at Yuuto again.
On the court, he had collided with Akashi. The two turned into lights, rushing towards each other like two comets.
Ear-piercing sound of sneakers rubbing against the floor, intense sound of basketball impact.
Core vs. Core right from the start, pushing the match directly to a climax.
Their duel wasn't flashy; no imitation like Kise, no chaos like Aomine, nor unreasonable impact of super-long threes like Yuuto (usually).
But their duel made people feel chills.
"Yu's eyes seem to have become different again."
She had discovered this long ago.
Originally black pupils, once entering the match state, a soul-shaking red ring would appear, like stars emitting azure brilliance.
"What do you mean? Little Yuuto's eyes evolved again?"
"I'm not sure, but what Yu sees is something we can't understand."
Indeed incomprehensible.
Akashi felt a sense of incongruity when first contacting Yuuto.
Would that red ring locking the pupil be similar to the golden ring of the Emperor Eye?
Without enough intel, continued observation was needed.
He opened his Emperor Eye, wanting to see through Yuuto.
While thinking, the two had engaged several times, then separated quickly, maintaining a certain distance to confront each other.
Just now, Akashi saw Yuuto's future and extended his arm for a steal.
Didn't succeed.
But Yuuto was also forced to retreat back to outside the three-point line.
"First round, did Akashi gain the upper hand?"
Teppei Kiyoshi saw Yuuto forced back for the first time since being discharged from the hospital.
Such things used to be done by Yuuto, constantly forcing people back until they had nowhere to go.
"Looks like it. Akashi Seijuro, leader of the Generation of Miracles, what's so special about him?" Junpei Hyuga saw nothing special about Akashi.
His figure didn't look like a basketball player's figure.
With a height of only 1.73m and a weight of 64kg, he lagged behind Yuuto in all aspects.
From the perspective of static talent, Akashi was weak.
Yet he ruled the Generation of Miracles with such a body.
"Emperor Eye!"
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"