Tōō Academy's possession began with Imayoshi Shoichi bringing the ball up the court. Crossing into Rakuzan's half, he glanced at Hayama Kotaro—who was already flashing an excited grin as he stepped up to defend him.
Imayoshi let out a faint, sly smile and passed the ball to Yoshinori Susa instead.
Susa caught it and immediately powered through Mayuzumi Chihiro. With a simple contact finish off the glass, he scored easily.
BOOM.
Tōō Academy answered Rakuzan with the same color of points.
The game continued. This time, Rakuzan went on offense while Tōō set up their defense. The ball reached Mibuchi Reo's hands. Facing Sakurai Ryo—a full head shorter than him—Mibuchi casually spoke.
"First-year kid… you're still far too green."
With that, he jumped backward into a three-point shot. A perfectly balanced release—his signature "Heaven" shot.
SWISH.
The ball sank cleanly through the net. The form was elegant, almost artistic. A visual spectacle.
Sakurai Ryo said nothing.
He simply replayed the shot in his mind over and over.
That… was perfect. Can I really reach that level?
A hand landed on his shoulder. Imayoshi Shoichi spoke calmly.
"Take it slow. You understand the mechanics now, but skill difference is still skill difference. You'll get used to it."
"I understand."
Seeing that Sakurai wasn't discouraged—and instead still had fire in his eyes—Imayoshi quietly sighed in relief.
If he didn't stay motivated, this would be impossible to manage…
The game shifted again.
Wakamatsu Kousuke passed the ball to Imayoshi, who had already crossed into Rakuzan's half. Without hesitation, he moved the ball again.
SWISH.
A clean three-pointer. Tōō struck back immediately.
Mibuchi's eyes widened slightly.
That release speed… was insane. He didn't even prepare.
From catch to shot—no hesitation, no extra motion. Just pure efficiency.
Mibuchi smiled faintly, almost amused.
A first-year kid… interesting. Not afraid at all, huh?
The intense back-and-forth between Tōō Academy and Rakuzan High drew roaring reactions from the crowd. Applause echoed endlessly across the arena.
There was no clear division among the spectators. They simply cheered for whoever scored.
One side—the reigning champions. The other—the rising tyrants. Both were favorites.
Everyone loved it.
======
In the stands, Takao Kazunari suddenly spoke after a long silence.
"So… the Uncrowned Kings aren't that insane after all. They're still beatable."
No one responded.
Haizaki Shogo and Midorima Shintaro ignored him completely. Others looked at him with disdain or quiet disbelief.
Only those with "Miracle-level" talent or rising genius status would dare say something like that.
For everyone else, the Uncrowned Kings were still unreachable peaks.
======
On Fukuda Sogo's side, Haizaki and his teammates watched intently. The match had their full attention.
For players at their level, this was more valuable than any training session.
Haizaki finally spoke.
"Shimizu's analysis was correct. Tōō is targeting Rakuzan's weak points, while Rakuzan is attacking Tōō's formation gaps."
He paused, eyes still on the court.
"But Tōō has Satsuki Momoi supporting them. That disadvantage will shrink over time. The closer the game gets to the end, the smaller the gap will be."
"Right now, it's still unpredictable."
He turned slightly.
"But watch carefully. The real battle is in the individual matchups. That's what will help you improve."
Nearby, players from Shutoku and Kirisaki Daiichi also focused harder after hearing him.
Even Hayama Kotaro's teammates from other schools leaned in, not wanting to miss a single detail.
======
On the court again, Rakuzan resumed offense.
Mibuchi brought the ball up and passed it to Hayama Kotaro.
Hayama grinned wildly, raising four fingers as he faced Imayoshi Shoichi.
Then—
He exploded forward with dribbling so fast it sounded like thunder.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
His confidence was absolute.
But in that instant—
Imayoshi's eyes suddenly opened fully.
His glasses glinted.
SNAP.
The dribble was stolen.
The court seemed to freeze for a split second in shock. No one even processed what had just happened.
Imayoshi was already gone.
A fast break.
He stepped beyond the three-point line. No hesitation. No setup.
A clean, precise release.
SWISH.
Another three-pointer for Tōō. The score tightened again to within two points.
The crowd erupted in disbelief.
That steal—was too fast. Too clean. Too calculated.
Even now, many hadn't realized how it happened.
On the Tōō bench, Aomine Daiki slowly opened his eyes.
He looked at Imayoshi, who was returning calmly on defense, then muttered to himself.
"That scheming glasses guy… really is a schemer."
"…But that steal was pretty good."
=============
55+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon.com/Veltoria
100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter