Chapter 076: I’m a Center, Backdowns Are What We Do, Right?
Teiko vs. Okayama.
67:58.
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[Ultimate Skill · Green Light: When fired up, your presence on the court becomes a flash of green light. Gain "Lightspeed Dribble" and "Shadow Shift Breakthrough" for 30 seconds.]
Although he couldn't use the off-ball-only talent Goda Tomokazu · Full-Power Acceleration while holding the ball…
The "Green Light" buff came with "Lightspeed Dribble," giving Shigure Akihito an even faster pace than his off-ball state.
Right now,
All sorts of advanced ball-handling techniques flowed freely in his hands, intertwined with slam-dunk-centric moves, making him look like a butterfly darting unpredictably through the air!
Hagioka Kasayuki's defense looked on the verge of collapse, but his sharp reads and physical strength allowed him to disrupt Shigure's rhythm at key points.
It was just like…
Nijimura Shuzo!
Maybe that was inevitable.
Those with similar skill sets, over time, tend to converge in style.
At that moment, although Shigure had been dominating offensively, he couldn't quite break through, like a storm momentarily halted. But instead of fading, the pressure around him only intensified.
Not because his power increased…
But because,
His mental focus had reached a razor's edge!
In Hagioka's eyes,
Those high-flow "signature moves" of Shigure's, usually distinct and disjointed, now began blending into each other, fluid and seamless.
Previously, each technique felt like a separate burst. But now, with his mind locked in, Shigure was subconsciously weaving them together.
And it was definitely subconscious.
Hagioka thought, "…"
Hah…
What a freakishly talented kid.
With skills this potent, Shigure had never encountered an opponent strong enough to force him into true cohesion. So, he'd been using these top-tier talents…
Luxuriously, like one-hit-kill finishing moves.
Well then…
Bring it on!
Locked in by the thrill of competition, Shigure didn't even realize what technique he was unleashing. His body responded purely from experience, he simply knew…
Which move fit when.
How to link them.
Where to explode.
And then,
To Nijimura Shuzo, who was watching from the sidelines, it was,
Shigure's most perfect breakthrough of the game!
"Sendō · Ground Glide", he dropped his body nearly parallel to the floor, then chained a crossover into a "Moonstep Pullback + Instant Burst," the transition so seamless it was like water flowing downhill.
That final burst,
Was fused flawlessly with the low-glide move.
This time, Shigure's skill linking, his acceleration control, everything was perfect.
And right at the moment Hagioka tried to interrupt the combo,
That final Ground Glide,
Whoosh!
Cleanly broke through his defense!
Hagioka: "!"
That move, was insane!
So quick! So sharp!
In the blink of an eye, Shigure had gone from the 45° three-point angle to slashing into the paint!
Everyone in the stadium had their eyes fixed on him, and Hagioka, still giving chase.
Behind him, Hagioka Kasayuki.
In front, Okayama's power forward, Tajika Makoto, already stepping up for the block.
Clearly,
This was Hagioka's trap!
Using Tajika's help, they formed a pincer formation.
Hagioka cut off Shigure's options for a pull-up or step-back from behind, while Tajika delayed him just enough from the front.
Once Shigure committed to the rim,
Hagioka could assist on the block.
"Lock down No. 7!"
"Perfect!"
"Nice trap!"
"That spot's a dead zone, he can't possibly…"
But,
Before the Okayama bench could finish celebrating,
Shigure Akihito stunned them all.
"?!"
Hey!
What the, !?
Where are you even jumping?!
Shigure's body suddenly veered from the 45° angle toward the baseline, leaping with impossible control from a negative angle behind the backboard!
And then, he glided!
Soared past the right side of the hoop, appeared on the left!
Right as his forward momentum threatened to throw him off balance, he whipped around midair for a reverse slam dunk, grabbing the rim to pull himself back to center.
Everyone was left dumbstruck.
BOOM!
Shigure Akihito,
A gliding baseline reverse dunk!
He nearly crossed the entire paint, from one end to the other midair!
Tajika's jaw dropped. His mind went blank.
Eventually, he blurted out the only thing that came to mind:
"…"
A first-year?
There's a limit to how absurd things can be!
What kind of sick joke is this!?
But reality hits hard.
And sometimes, it hits harder than fiction.
That level of difficulty,
For Shigure, it was no more complex than his previous drive.
The entire stadium sat frozen.
"Hagioka's strong, sure. But at least there's logic to his strength."
"Shigure Akihito…"
"Is insanely strong. Completely irrational."
"That's Teiko's first-year?!"
"Terrifying… What if he missed that dunk, he'd crash hard!"
"And the glide! That glide!"
After the basket, unlike before, Shigure didn't hold on or pose. He just used the rim to stabilize himself and landed immediately.
His focus, his attention, was laser-sharp. No words for Hagioka.
But in the moment their eyes met, an invisible current sparked between them.
Teiko vs. Okayama.
69:58.
The lead, cut down earlier by Hagioka, had widened back to double digits.
Next up,
Okayama's possession.
Tajika Makoto readied for the inbound.
But to his surprise, Teiko suddenly initiated a full-court press.
No…
More accurately,
Under Nijimura Shuzo's command, everyone except Shigure joined in the press!
The intention couldn't be clearer.
On the other end,
Nijimura glanced coldly at Hagioka, then Shigure.
Heh.
You guys love this full-court brawl so much?
Fine.
Let's start from ball advancement.
Wear yourselves out all you want!
After all,
Even if you both run out of steam, I can finish this game myself.
On court,
Teiko's sudden assault forced Hagioka to retreat and retrieve the ball.
But his elite information processing and superhuman ball control let him advance smoothly, even under Shigure's insane speed and pressure.
Clap!
Clap!
Clap!
Their duel, back and forth from backcourt to frontcourt, was exhilarating.
No one else could keep up.
Not Teiko.
Not Okayama.
Only Nijimura.
Shigure tried to intercept, but Hagioka, with perfect control, pushed the ball into the frontcourt.
And then,
He dropped into his "butt-out" post-up mode.
One bump.
Two bumps.
Three bumps.
He easily backed Shigure into the paint.
And then,
Back to the basket,
He suddenly spun with a between-the-legs back pivot!
"First-year Shigure…"
"Don't forget~"
"I'm a center~"
"So it's only fair I post up, yeah?"
Hagioka's footwork in the paint became increasingly dazzling, impossibly fast for a center!
Ōkura Masaaki on the sidelines felt his scalp go numb!
Thinking back to when he matched up against this guy,
"He…"
"He held back this much?!"
Shigure was reeling. The barrage of inside footwork left him stunned.
Only now did he truly understand,
This monster really is a center!
Phew…
No problem.
No matter how good your footwork is,
You still have to shoot.
All I have to do is read that moment.
Even if I jump on a fake, it's the paint. Our help defense will recover quickly enough…
And I can rotate back in.
Just be careful not to foul.
But right then,
Hagioka suddenly picked up the ball, spun even faster, and flashed a devious grin.
"This move…"
"Returning it to you!"
Just like Shigure had done with a self-alley-oop earlier,
Hagioka threw the ball toward the backboard!
Shigure reacted immediately,
Jumped!
But he was just a fraction late.
Smack!
He altered the ball's path, but not cleanly.
Hagioka wasn't surprised. He knew that move was bait, and Shigure had bitten.
A first-year…
Still has much to learn.
He'd never actually jumped during the fake.
So, while Shigure was still airborne,
Hagioka exploded forward.
Shigure chased,
Boom!
Ball hit backboard. Rebounded!
Hagioka leapt again, fully airborne!
Ōkura, relying on experience, ignored the ball and blocked directly.
Shigure also leapt again, hand reaching up!
But,
In truth, the outcome was sealed when Shigure fell for the fake.
Even with Ōkura's help, Hagioka knew,
He was Okayama's magnet for defense, not Tajika.
Smack!
One-handed grab!
In midair,
He touched it first, barely!
And just behind him,
Tajika, who had been still and focused,
Cut to the rim perfectly!
Self-lob into a true alley-oop!
BOOM!
Teiko vs. Okayama.
69:60.
The crowd, still stunned by Hagioka's footwork and self-oop, suddenly went silent.
In retrospect,
From the moment Hagioka was forced to bring the ball up…
The game turned surreal.
Hagioka's display,
From point guard skills to big-man footwork, was insane.
Hard to believe,
This guy was once called "rock-solid and conservative."
Which made everyone wonder:
Last year,
What kind of basketball did Okayama play?!
Was it always this exaggerated?!
Those unfamiliar with last year's nationals began to wonder.
On court,
Hagioka's performance from start to finish,
Left the crowd absolutely shellshocked.
Sanada Naoto stood beside Coach Shirogane, staring solemnly at Hagioka, then at the scoreboard.
He thought to himself,
No wonder Coach Shirogane values this guy so highly.
Phew…
As the first-string coach, he had envisioned this game as a blowout, Shigure Akihito storming ahead early.
But he hadn't expected,
Hagioka Kasayuki to be this terrifying.
End of chapter...
To be continued...
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