The basketball cut through the air with a sharp whoosh...
and dropped perfectly into Akagi's broad, fan-like hands.
"AKAGI!!"
Uozumi whipped his head around, pupils trembling, despair flooding his eyes.
He'd been tricked by Rukawa!
That lone-wolf Rukawa Kaede… actually passed the ball?!
Did the sun rise in the west today?!
…
Akagi caught the ball.
In that moment.
his ankle no longer hurt.
His mind was empty of all distractions.
All that existed…
was the wide-open basket in front of him...
and behind him, the trust of Sakuragi, Rukawa, Miyagi, Mitsui… everyone.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
Akagi let out a thunderous bellow.
His feet slammed against the floor, the court groaning under the strain.
He leapt.
He soared.
The gorilla who once ruled Kanagawa's paint...
the towering pillar of Shohoku—
had returned!
With both hands gripping the ball high overhead, his body arched like a fully drawn bow—
then...
he smashed it down!
"BOOM!!!"
The rim trembled violently, as if it might be ripped off the backboard the next second.
The entire hoop structure groaned under the terrifying force.
A dunk!
A brutal, no-frills, power-packed Gorilla Dunk!
49:40.
After landing, Akagi didn't let go immediately.
He held the rim for a beat, his body swaying slightly with inertia, before dropping steadily to the ground.
Turning around, he faced Uozumi's stunned expression.
On Akagi's resolute face—
appeared a confidence and dominance never seen before.
He thumped his chest, right where his heart pounded.
His voice was low—
yet exploded like thunder in everyone's ears:
"Uozumi."
"Shohoku's paint… is a no-fly zone."
"As long as I'm standing here…"
"you're not getting through."
Uozumi stared at him.
That look…
no longer held hesitation.
No longer held fear.
It was the same Akagi Takenori from two years ago—
the one who, despite rough technique, dared to challenge anything.
No.
Stronger than before.
This Akagi...
tempered by injury, carrying the dreams of the entire team—
was complete.
"Akagi…"
Uozumi's lips trembled.
A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to his scalp.
Calculate the area of his psychological shadow?
Infinite.
He knew it.
The opponent he feared—
was fully back.
"Nice one, Gorilla!!!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi was the first to rush over.
Not caring whether Akagi liked it or not, he leapt onto his back, wrapping an arm around his neck and shouting:
"WAHAHA!"
"That dunk had at least half of this genius's style!"
"That pass was from Rukawa!"
Miyagi rushed over too, slapping Akagi's backside in excitement.
Mitsui stood beyond the three-point line, a crooked grin on his lips as he pumped his fist.
"Nicely done, Captain."
Rukawa Kaede, still expressionless, walked past Akagi—
and quietly said:
"Nice dunk."
…
On the bench.
Coach Anzai's glasses gleamed as a faint smile curved his lips.
That ever-calm face softened into something gentle.
"Hehehe…"
"Akagi-kun has overcome his inner demon."
Beside him, Makino Juro yawned.
"Now that's more like it…"
"If he can't even overcome a minor injury, how's he going to conquer the nation?"
"Looks like… Shohoku just got stronger."
…
The game resumed.
Though the gap had widened to nine points—
Ryonan was still a Final Four–level powerhouse.
Sendoh Akira quickly clapped his hands, snapping his shaken teammates back to focus.
"Don't panic! There's still time!"
"As long as we score one, we'll regain our rhythm!"
Sendoh brought the ball up.
This time—
he didn't pass.
He decided to take it himself.
Facing Rukawa's defense, his eyes sharpened instantly.
Between-the-legs dribble—crossover—acceleration.
Fast as lightning.
Rukawa stuck to him like glue, denying even a sliver of space.
Their figures crossed again and again—
like two blades clashing midair, sparks flying.
"So strong…"
The crowd watched, breath held.
This was a duel between aces!
A battle of gods!
Suddenly...
Sendoh came to a sharp stop mid-drive, then stepped back.
Rukawa reacted instantly, lunging to contest.
But in midair—
Sendoh hung.
Using core strength, he twisted just enough to evade the block...
his wrist flicking softly.
The ball spun off his fingertips.
Swish.
A high-difficulty mid-range shot.
49:42.
"OOOHHH! Sendoh! Sendoh!"
Ryonan's bench erupted, trying to claw back momentum.
But Sendoh didn't celebrate.
"Get back! Full-court press!"
He knew....
they couldn't let Shohoku bring the ball up comfortably now.
However—
just as Ryonan prepared to set up their defense.
Miyagi Ryota flashed a sly grin.
"Full-court press?"
"You wanna test speed with me? Too small-minded."
He glanced at the red figure already sprinting upcourt.
"Sakuragi! Run!"
"Don't have to tell me, Ryota!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi was like a perpetual motion machine.
Celebrating one second—
already inside Ryonan's three-point line the next.
Too fast.
So fast that even Fukuda Kichō, assigned to guard him, was half a beat late.
Miyagi flicked his wrist—
A precise long pass soared downcourt.
Sakuragi caught it.
But he didn't go straight for the layup.
Because in front of him...
Uozumi Jun had already fought his way back on defense, standing beneath the basket like an iron tower.
"Monkey Boss! This time, this genius will crush you head-on!"
Sakuragi roared, gathering the ball.
One step.
Two steps.
Just as everyone expected a forceful dunk—
Sakuragi suddenly stopped.
Then...
he performed an incredibly awkward, yet somehow oddly proper…
spin move?
"That's—"
Akagi froze on the sideline.
That was the post move he had taught Sakuragi during practice!
Sure, Sakuragi executed it like a stiff robot doing mechanical dance—
but that spin perfectly threw off Uozumi's already unstable balance.
"See ya!"
After the spin, facing the basket—
Sakuragi didn't dunk.
Instead, he lightly jumped...
and flicked his wrist.
A simple layup.
The ball kissed the glass and dropped in.
51:42.
"Nani?!"
Uozumi was completely dumbfounded.
He had prepared for a dunk.
Prepared for brute force.
But never—
for something this refined!
"WAHAHAHAHA!"
"See that, Monkey Boss?! That's a genius's learning ability!"
Sakuragi pointed at him, laughing arrogantly:
"The Gorilla only had to teach me once!"
"I really am a genius!"
Akagi's lips twitched as he watched.
The form was ugly—
but that was undeniably…
The kid's talent was terrifying.
This basket...
completely shattered Ryonan's attempt at a comeback.
And made everyone realize—
Shohoku was no longer just a team of Akagi and Rukawa.
That red-haired amateur...
was evolving at a frightening pace—
into a monster capable of deciding the game.
Beep!
The referee's whistle blew.
Timeout, Ryonan.
The score froze at 51:42.
Shohoku led by nine.
Nine points...
like an unbridgeable chasm weighing on Ryonan's hearts.
Sendoh Akira straightened, gripping the basketball in one hand, chest rising and falling.
Sweat slid down his sharply defined jawline, dripping onto the court and spreading into dark stains.
He didn't head to the bench immediately.
Instead—
he turned his head.
Through the noise, through the heat shimmering in the air—
his gaze locked onto Shohoku's bench.
There...
Makino Juro sat slouched in his oversized jacket, utterly unbothered, holding a half-finished bottle of water.
As if sensing that piercing gaze—
Makino Juro lazily lifted his eyelids.
Their eyes met midair.
END OF CHAPTER
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