"See that? This is Seirin's last hope."
Haizaki Shogo stared at Kagami Taiga on the court as he spoke, his tone carrying a clear I knew this would happen attitude. Behind him, Fukuda Sogo's players stood completely stunned. Today, another impossible figure had entered their understanding of basketball, another player had stepped into the Zone.
"Whoa, Seirin's suddenly taking off!"
"Seriously. Kagami Taiga at Generation of Miracles level, Kuroko Tetsuya the Phantom Sixth Man, Kiyoshi Teppei from the Uncrowned Kings... that's a terrifying lineup."
"So what?" Aomine lazily crossed his arms and grinned. "Let's see if they survive this first. Over twenty points in a single quarter. Let's watch how Kagami puts on his show."
Imayoshi adjusted his glasses and laughed. "Haha, Aomine, feeling pressure?"
"Pressure?" Aomine snorted. "Quit joking."
Their conversation barely caused a ripple among Tōō's players. After all, they had already witnessed a monster like Haizaki Shogo. Compared to that freak, Kagami entering the Zone wasn't enough to truly shock them.
Nearby, Takao's jaw had nearly hit the floor. "Shin-chan..." He pointed at the court with trembling fingers. "Am I seeing things? That... that's the Zone?!"
Midorima pushed up his glasses. "Yes. The Zone."
"My god..." Takao stared blankly. "T-That's impossible..."
"Why impossible?" Midorima remained calm. "Kagami may still be lacking in some areas, but his potential rivaling the Generation of Miracles has always been acknowledged."
Takao swallowed hard. "This just made Seirin way more troublesome."
"Troublesome?" Midorima's expression remained unchanged. "Besides those two monsters, I've never seen anyone enter the Zone whenever they wanted."
"...True."
=========
Back on the court, Hanamiya held the ball and prepared to organize the offense. He wanted to stabilize things, slow down the pace, and preserve the lead.
Then...
SLAP!
A massive hand suddenly appeared.
Kagami stole the ball.
Hanamiya's eyes widened. Too fast. Far too fast.
A red streak flashed across the court.
Then:
BOOM!!
The basketball crashed through the hoop as electricity seemed to crackle through the entire arena. Hanamiya's pupils shrank violently, and blood vessels bulged around his eyes, looking ready to burst.
This... This is Generation of Miracles level? This is talent? I've schemed and calculated every step... and in the end... it all loses to one burst of talent?
Silence followed because reality was exactly that cruel.
Talent.
Pure, overwhelming talent.
The pressure Kagami now placed upon Kirisaki Daiichi, the suffocating despair weighing down upon them, resembled exactly what Kirisaki had done to Kuroko earlier. It was the same overwhelming gap.
Only now, it struck the soul. And somehow, that hurt even more.
The remainder of the game became Kagami Taiga's personal performance. This match also became the game that truly announced his name to high school basketball. Over the final ten minutes of the fourth quarter, Kagami scored thirty-two points by himself.
When the final whistle sounded, the scoreboard displayed:
Seirin 86 : 78 Kirisaki Daiichi
Seirin had completed the comeback. The game was over.
Haizaki quietly stood up and led Fukuda Sogo away from the stands. The Winter Cup opener had been far more entertaining than expected. Silently, he offered internal applause to Hanamiya, to Kuroko, and to Kagami.
All three had played their roles perfectly.
========
Afternoon.
2:30 PM.
Inside the arena, Coach Ichiro Kudo shouted toward Fukuda Sogo at the top of his lungs. "We're the champions! Show them your spirit! Crush them!"
"CRUSH THEM!"
"CRUSH THEM!"
Haizaki shook his head helplessly. He adjusted his waistband, retied his shoelaces, and then stood up.
"Shogo-kun, good luck!"
Shimizu Rena sat nearby, raising a tiny fist in encouragement. Haizaki smiled and gently bumped his fist against hers before turning and walking onto the court with his teammates.
Today's opponent was Iizumi High, a rather ordinary school. Even so, Haizaki still intended to play. He wanted to lead this battle-hardened Fukuda Sogo team to conquer the nation.
This season, he didn't want to miss a single game.
The whistle sounded. Suzuran Karasu leaped for the opening tip against Iizumi's center.
SMACK!
The ball flew away. Harano Shinichi caught it instantly and launched a long pass. Kimura Tosho sprinted ahead, caught the ball, jumped, and hammered it through the basket.
BOOM!!
Just like that, Fukuda Sogo's performance began. What followed became a highlight reel. Steals, fast breaks, alley-oops, transition attacks, everything flowed endlessly and without resistance.
Near the end of the first quarter, Haizaki stole the ball and immediately launched a full-court pass. Suzuran Karasu soared into the air.
BOOM!!
Another alley-oop.
The buzzer sounded.
End of the first quarter.
Haizaki glanced toward the scoreboard.
30 : 2
A mysterious smile slowly spread across his face. Across the court, Iizumi's players stood frozen. Several already looked completely defeated.
Before the game started, they had known Fukuda Sogo were the defending champions, but they had never imagined the difference would be this large.
So large that it inspired despair. Fear. Hopelessness.
"Why are they this strong?"
"The gap... It's huge..."
"This... This is their level?"
"We were too naive..."
Iizumi's captain, a long-haired power forward, looked utterly dejected. Before the match, they had prepared countless strategies and countless ideas. Yet standing here now, all of those plans seemed laughably childish.
Completely powerless.
The fourth quarter continued, and by the second quarter Fukuda Sogo had already rotated through nearly all of their substitutes. Everyone took a turn on the court.
When the game finally ended, the scoreboard read:
Fukuda Sogo 86 : 16 Iizumi High
Total domination. A perfect victory. A perfect start.
Tomorrow, they would face Muranodai High, and Fukuda Sogo remained filled with confidence.
After the game, Haizaki walked with his teammates while Shimizu followed near the back of the group beside him. As they exited the arena, Haizaki spotted another team leaving.
Yosen High.
Among the crowd, one figure stood out instantly.
Murasakibara Atsushi.
Tall. Ridiculously tall.
Haizaki smiled and walked over. "Long time no see, Atsushi."
Murasakibara looked down lazily. "Long time no see, Haizaki-chin."
Haizaki grinned. "Looking at the bracket, we'll meet in the quarterfinals. Don't fall behind before then."
Murasakibara narrowed his eyes. "Huh? Are you looking down on me?"
Haizaki laughed. "No. I'm just reminding you. I'm looking forward to playing against you."
Murasakibara nodded slowly. "That's more like it. Alright, I'm going. My teammates are waiting."
"See you."
"See you."
Murasakibara silently watched Haizaki leave. His face remained expressionless, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Only after Haizaki boarded the team bus and disappeared into the distance did Murasakibara lower his head and reach for an energy bar.
Then he froze.
Silence.
He blinked and looked again.
One energy bar was missing.
Suddenly, a memory flashed through his mind. When Haizaki left, he somehow had an extra snack in his hand.
Murasakibara's face immediately darkened.
"HAIZAKI-CHIN! YOU STOLE MY ENERGY BAR?! UNFORGIVABLE!!"
A gentle voice suddenly sounded behind him. "Atsushi, was that your friend?"
Murasakibara turned around. It was Himuro Tatsuya, and his expression instantly relaxed.
"...Yeah. I guess. We used to be teammates too."
Himuro looked surprised. "Oh? Atsushi's teammate? He must be really strong."
Murasakibara thought for a moment before answering. "...He's kinda strong. Interhigh champions."
Himuro paused. "Haizaki Shogo?"
Murasakibara blinked. "Tatsuya-chin knows him too?"
Himuro laughed. "After transferring here, I've heard his name plenty of times."
Murasakibara lazily stuffed another snack into his mouth and then glanced sideways. "Tatsuya-chin, we'll run into Haizaki-chin in the quarterfinals." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Prepare yourself and be ready."
For some reason, Himuro suddenly felt pressure. A strange pressure, as though the quarterfinals had suddenly become much farther away and much heavier.
=============
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