Chapter 065: Nebuya Eikichi, Shigure Akihito, You Totally Get It, Quarterfinals vs. Senzan

A moment later.

Nebuya Eikichi: "…"

Rebounds?

There were no rebounds at all!

These two bastards from Teiko… their shooting percentage was just too damn high!

To grab a rebound, the opponent needs to miss. But that smiling, sunny-looking bastard, clearly a point guard on offense, somehow always suppressed him in every rebound battle!

So strong!

And the one Nebuya was complaining about, that 'sunny-looking bastard', was feeling rather troubled himself.

Because Teiko's twin stars across from him… were far stronger than he ever imagined.

Are they really… first-years?

Nijimura Shuzo's "Wild Instinct" was fierce and overwhelming, powerful enough to surpass even him in strength, despite his own larger build. As for technique…

Maybe their strength was too disappointing for Nijimura?

In just two possessions…

That "Wild Instinct" vanished on its own.

But that didn't mean Nijimura got any easier to deal with. If anything, now that the wild instinct had faded, the match got even harder.

All because…

Of the player beside him, Shigure Akihito.

So this was the legendary Teiko Twin Stars, perfectly complementary, where 1 + 1 truly was greater than 2.

Nijimura would use his aggressive drives as bait, only to constantly dish perfect assists to Shigure. And Shigure would respond with:

Ultra-long-range threes, dunks in the paint, fadeaways, eurosteps, step-backs,

A complete arsenal of attacks, never the same move twice.

And within this dazzling display of offense, hidden underneath, was Nijimura's terrifying court vision and exquisite decision-making, rendering their attempts to double-team Shigure completely useless.

It was ridiculous…

Both of them were absurd.

This match wasn't a race to 21 points, but 21 made baskets.

Right now,

20:5.

All five baskets they gave up had come from attacking Nebuya Eikichi, which made his already dark skin now resemble a lump of charcoal.

On court,

Shigure Akihito's final possession.

Pa~

Pa~

Pa~

His Ultimate Move , Shadow of Sendo had activated.

Facing off against Mibuchi Reo's defense, he launched a dizzying combination of moves:

Crossover!

Godai Tomokazu x Mochizuki Step-Back!

Kiyota Nobunaga x Retreat Drive!

In-Front Shifty Cross!

Shadow: Pull-up Fadeaway!

[Shadow: Pull-up Fadeaway]

A grounded shadow feint mimicking a drive, deceiving the opponent, followed by a sudden pull-up and fadeaway.

Shigure's handles were lightning fast, clean and precise. And in the final phantom feint of his move, his silhouette flashed by Mibuchi's eyes,

Drifting away...

Swish, !

Shigure Akihito's fadeaway, nothing but net.

21:5.

Shigure, Nijimura, Nebuya vs. Kiyoshi, Hayama, Mibuchi , total domination!

A moment later,

[Current Honor Road Quest: "Five Generals Team-Up"...]

[Quest Condition: Encounter all five Uncrowned Kings during the Nationals. Defeat one: Stage 1 reward. Defeat two: Stage 2 reward. Defeat three...]

[Stage 3 Reward Unlocked...]

[Acquired: 'Basic Profile Player' , ]

[Soul of Shōyō , Fujima Kenji!]

While receiving his reward tied to the Five Generals, Shigure also got a bonus prize.

Draped in jackets from Chōgen International, Shōei, and Senzan Junior High, Shigure turned toward Nijimura, who looked slightly disappointed.

"Crushing victory~"

"Want a jacket?"

Nijimura shook his head.

"Too one-sided. They were too weak."

And as he glanced at Mibuchi Reo, he could tell clearly, this guy hadn't gone all out.

But at the same time, he was even more certain:

Even if he had, he still wouldn't beat Shigure.

"Too boring."

Mibuchi Reo: "..."

On the other side,

While Reo stayed silent, the exchange under the basket between Kiyoshi Teppei and the now-charcoal-faced Nebuya Eikichi turned unexpectedly wholesome.

"You've got great power, but basketball isn't just about strength."

"If you polish your technique, I think you could become even better."

Kiyoshi said seriously, locking eyes with Nebuya.

And then…

Everyone saw Nebuya's eyes light up.

And from nearby, Shigure Akihito's voice rang out:

"So what you're saying is, he should build even bigger muscles!"

Nebuya Eikichi: "!?"

That guy…

Could read minds?!

Nijimura's eyes widened. He already thought Shigure's interpretation of Kiyoshi's advice was outrageous, but that Nebuya actually thought the same thing?

Unbelievable…

On the other side,

Watching Kiyoshi "inspire" Nebuya to train his muscles, Shigure Akihito strolled up enthusiastically and threw an arm over Nebuya's shoulder.

"Read minds? Nah, "

"That's just common sense, right?"

"If you're losing in strength, then you train until you're stronger!"

Nebuya nodded vigorously.

"Exactly! That's what I always thought! Japanese players have this bad habit, you know?"

"Whenever they get outmuscled by foreign players, they run off to train agility and skill instead!"

Hearing that, Shigure rolled up his sleeve and showed off his rather unimpressive bicep.

"That's right! The harder you train, the stronger your build. Muscles never lie!"

Boom!

Nebuya's eyes lit up like never before. He slapped his own chest hard.

"Mm! Mm! Mm!"

"Basketball is all about the body!"

"The reason I failed in rebounding and boxing out earlier was all because of lacking physical strength!"

Shigure slapped his own chest too.

"Exactly! Movement comes from muscle! As long as your muscles are strong enough, everything works out!"

Kiyoshi Teppei, now getting worried, raised a hand.

"Excuse me, Shigure… I think there's something off with that logic…"

But before he could finish:

"No."

"You don't get it."

"For a big man, strength is everything. You're just a point guard, what do you know?"

Kiyoshi: "…"

I'm… not even really a point guard, though?

Also…

Shigure, aren't you a shooting guard?

In the end,

Shigure clapped Nebuya on the shoulder, the two now clearly in sync. He added one last word of caution:

"Muscle training is great…"

"But…"

"There's no need to shave your head and grow a beard in the name of muscle enlightenment, okay?"

Nebuya froze.

He looked at Shigure and nodded in awe.

Genius! Why didn't I think of that?!

As they left,

Nebuya thanked Shigure again for his support, which had reaffirmed his beliefs.

And amid Nijimura's speechlessness, awkward glances all around, and Hanamiya Makoto glaring bitterly from the shadows, Mibuchi Reo suddenly spoke up with rare seriousness:

"I'll win that jacket back on the national stage."

Hayama Kotarō chimed in right after:

"Me too!"

Kiyoshi Teppei nodded with a smile:

"Losing that jacket… there's no way I can explain that to my senpai."

Just as Shigure and Nijimura were about to leave, they both paused.

Shigure gave a thumbs-up behind him.

"I'll be waiting for you to come get it~"

"Just don't make me wait till next year~"

"Also…"

"You're Hanamiya Makoto, right?"

"I'd love to add your jersey to my collection, too, though judging by your level, I'm guessing we won't meet until high school~"

Hanamiya clenched his fist.

And beside him, Imayoshi Shōichi couldn't help but chuckle.

Heh,

This well-behaved underclassman is about to let his true colors slip, huh?

What a fun guy you are, Shigure Akihito…

After leaving,

Having now encountered all five of the Uncrowned Kings and gaining huge rewards, Shigure Akihito turned to Nijimura:

"Actually…"

"They're not bad, right?"

"I mean… in terms of potential?"

To his surprise, the previously disappointed Nijimura nodded slightly.

"…"

Despite being completely suppressed by him and Shigure, the opponents had still shown flashes of fighting spirit. Perhaps he had overestimated them, but also underestimated the impact of Shigure's attention.

"Yeah…"

"Not bad."

"For first-years…"

"Maybe next year, they'll be worth playing."

Later that afternoon,

Before their match against Murano-dai Junior High from Chiba,

Shigure reviewed his current rewards, including the new player he earned from the streetball match against the Uncrowned Kings:

Fujima Kenji of Shōyō.

While just a "basic profile player," Fujima clearly had unique tools, especially that Ultimate Move: Green Light.

[Green Light: When excited, the player appears like a flash of green lightning. Gains Light-Speed Dribbling and Phantom Drive. Lasts 30 seconds.]

Even if some of Fujima's regular skills were filler or overlaps from other players, this Ultimate was absolutely elite.

Especially when combined with his key passive abilities, Shigure saw it as:

"Triple Ultra Budget-ZONE Mode!"

Talents included:

Green Miracle: While in Green Light, gain enough energy to stay in it permanently.

Miracle Speed I / II / III: Each level increases speed while in Green Light.

Once "Green Light" is active,

The passive Light-Speed Dribble boosts ball-carrying movement.

With all four speed talents unlocked via his "Talent Unlock Cards x4," the 30-second burst became a permanent speed boost. Even though logically off, with or without the ball, it didn't matter,

Speed while dribbling was broken.

With this,

His offense would be even more unstoppable.

After that,

Came the match against Murano-dai Junior High.

To Shigure's disappointment, compared to Yamanoe, Murano-dai was a joke. With almost no resistance, Teiko blew them out with ease.

Shigure didn't even bother to activate "Green Light", it would've been a waste.

By halftime, he was already resting on the bench.

In the end,

Teiko Middle School effortlessly secured first in their group for Day One. Along with Yamanoe (who beat Murano-dai in the later match), they advanced smoothly into Day Two.

For the knockout bracket,

The rule was: Group 1st place vs. Group 2nd place from another group, with matchups determined by fresh draws.

Yamanoe felt lucky,

They avoided Teiko's bracket and would only meet again in the finals…

But before they could breathe a sigh of relief,

Disaster struck.

In the round of 16, they drew their nightmare,

Damn Okayama!

Meanwhile, on Teiko's side,

Their first Day Two match was another easy win by double the opponent's score.

Everyone could now see the dominance of this year's Teiko.

Especially their terrifying first-years,

The twin aces leading the team.

Then,

In the quarterfinals, they finally met a worthy opponent.

The one who quickly followed through on his promise to challenge Shigure:

Mibuchi Reo.

And his team:

Senzan Junior High.

Last year's runner-up.

Before the match,

Assistant coach Sanada Naoto gathered the team to brief them.

"Senzan boasts one of the best power forwards in the country."

"This year, they added first-year sharpshooter Mibuchi Reo. No doubt, they're strong."

"Our third-years should be familiar with them from last year. The main difference is now that new first-year."

"In terms of stats, as a shooting guard, Mibuchi might be even better than Okayama's."

"Only our Shigure is above him."

In the locker room,

After Sanada's briefing, Coach Platinum Kōzō brought out the whiteboard to draw up strategies, as always.

Then,

Right before going on court,

Sanada gathered them in a circle:

"Beat Senzan!"

"One more step, and we're in the Final Four!"

"Step by step, "

"Let's take this home!"

"What's our goal?"

"Middle School National Champions!"

"Middle School National Champions!"

Everyone responded in unison. Then, fully geared up, they headed into the player tunnel.

As they walked out onto the court,

They noticed the crowd was far larger than yesterday's or even this morning's Round of 16 match.

Most of it was drawn by:

Teiko's overwhelming strength.

Senzan's runner-up pedigree.

Naturally, a clash of titans drew attention.

"Teiko and Senzan are both on court!"

"This year…"

"It's gotta be Teiko, right?"

"Nah, you're kidding, Okayama's still number one!"

For Teiko's third-years, this was routine.

Even Nijimura, new to this kind of crowd, remained calm and collected.

Only Shigure looked a bit… different than usual.

Nanaki Asahi, now used to being on the bench, couldn't help but tease:

"Shigure~ Nervous? If so, I don't mind starting this one for you~"

Shigure smiled.

After scanning the crowd, he grinned excitedly.

"Nervous? What's that?"

"I just think…"

"I really called this one!"

"When you've got something amazing, "

"You need an audience just as amazing to witness it!"

Nanaki: "...!?"

This guy...!

We've reached the top 8, and he's still pulling this nonsense?!

End of chapter...

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