Haizaki Shogo lowered his body slightly, sinking into a low stance, hands outstretched, every sense honed.
At that instant, Taiga Kagami felt as if he was being stalked by a predator. But that fleeting realization was all it took—Shogo snatched the ball right from Kagami's hands and accelerated, leaving him in the wind.
Fast. Just fast. There's no word to describe it.
Shogo shook off the delayed reaction of Kagami, reached the board, and soared for a reverse dunk. The basketball slammed through the net as he dropped back down.
He spun around without acknowledging the Kagami who had just arrived under the board, and ran back to Fukuda Sogo's half.
The move had happened so quickly. That single basket shocked not only Kagami but all of Seirin's teammates.
They had assumed Shogo was at most on Kise Ryouta's level. They had underestimated him. Shogo was on a whole different plane.
=======
In the stands, Midorima Shintaro watched the dunk, glanced at Kise Ryouta beside him, and said:
"You saw that, right? What could Taiga Kagami possibly do against Shogo? Even if he bloomed, it wouldn't matter."
"…This…"
Kise had no words. Facing that speed, even he couldn't keep up on the court—let alone the slightly weaker Kagami.
At that moment, Yukio Kasamatsu spoke up:
"Seirin is strong, yes, but only when the Phantom Sixth Man is on the court. Right now, Seirin's on a completely different level."
Next to Midorima, Kazunari Takao chuckled softly.
"Don't forget, Fukuda Sogo also has Suzuran Karasu and Kimura Tosho. Two rising stars. Right now, Fukuda's strength is rock-solid!"
The rest went silent. No one had a counter.
How would Seirin High even handle this situation?
=====
On the court, Shogo stayed beside Kagami. The ball was in Hyuga Junpei's hands beyond the three-point line, guarded by Mochizuki Kazuhiro.
Hyuga jumped and shot—but Mochizuki's outstretched fingers grazed the ball. It bounced twice on the rim, then fell out.
Rebound! That was everyone's first thought.
But one Fukuda player had already sprinted toward Seirin's half.
For rebounds, Fukuda's inside presence—Suzuran Karasu and Okawa Sawano—dominated. Mitobe Rinnosuke couldn't get near the ball.
Whoosh!
Okawa launched a powerful long pass. The receiver? Kimura Tosho—already in position, one of the rising stars.
BOOM!
Kimura executed a one-handed windmill dunk, stoking the crowd's excitement even further.
The whistle blew: another score for Fukuda. If the previous basket had been Shogo's deliberate play, Seirin's players could at least accept it.
But now, from rebound to basket, Shogo hadn't touched the ball, and Fukuda still dominated Seirin effortlessly.
Anyone who understood the situation knew Seirin High was struggling like trapped beasts.
======
Seirin regained possession. The ballhandler switched from Hyuga to Shun Izuki. Izuki brought the ball to mid-court, blocked by Okawa.
Seeing no shot, Izuki had no choice but to pass to his ace, Kagami Taiga.
Kagami held the ball, determination burning brighter than before, focused—but still, it wasn't enough.
He dribbled, spun quickly to shake off Shogo.
The spin worked—but the ball was gone.
Kagami's eyes went wide in disbelief: Impossible… When did the ball get stolen?
At the moment Kagami turned, Shogo had already acted.
Intercepting the ball, Shogo raced forward. No one could catch him. The ball slid easily through the hoop.
Gripping the rim with one hand, Shogo swung lightly twice, then landed solidly and turned to defend again.
======
At the top of the stands, Aomine Daiki leaned over the railing, bored, speaking to the pink-haired girl next to him, Satsuki Momoi:
"See that, Satsuki? Not fun… utterly dominated."
"Kagami… so pitiful."
"Hmph. The pitiful always have something infuriating about them. You really want to use 'pitiful'?"
"Daiki… forget it…"
======
Elsewhere in the stands, Kise Ryouta watched Kagami beaten and battered, sighing.
"I guess I was too naive… thinking what I thought was actually what I thought."
"When Shogo left our team, he wasn't far behind us in skill. And now… just look at him."
"By the way, Midorima, what makes Shogo so different from me?"
"Ruthless. His personality, his skill—both far more ruthless than yours!"
On the court, Seirin's student coach, Aida Riko, gripped her hands so tightly that sweat formed without her noticing.
The current game had exceeded all her expectations, beyond anything she had anticipated.
Facing a miracle-era-level Haizaki Shogo for the first time, a deep sense of helplessness and fear washed over her. She felt powerless.
The players on the bench mirrored that: pale, discouraged, and dispirited—even Kuroko Tetsuya, though less outwardly, carried the same unease.
Everyone felt despair and futility—only Kuroko's wide blue eyes shone with the spark of "What can I do?"
The game continued. Izuki dribbled to mid-court and passed to Hyuga, who shot from beyond the three-point line.
Swish!
The ball went in. Seirin High scored for the first time, offering a sliver of hope to their desperate teammates.
Mochizuki brought the ball upcourt, flicking it high—it could have been a shot, it could have been a pass.
Swish!
Another score. Mochizuki's three-pointer crushed Seirin's newly rekindled hope.
Fukuda's offense effortlessly tore apart Seirin's defense. Why? Because Seirin had assigned both Kagami and Mitobe to guard Shogo.
This move left Seirin's inside completely undefended. Against the tall, athletic Suzuran Karasu and Okawa Sawano, Seirin's interior was a total no-man's land.
That's why Mochizuki had the confidence to shoot boldly. With backup and assurance, his confidence soared, and his shooting percentage improved.
Even if he missed, the rebound would go to Karasu or Okawa—Seirin had sent their only two tall players to shadow Shogo.
"Nice one, Mochizuki!"
"Awesome, Mochizuki-kun!"
"Another one, Mochizuki!"
"Keep shooting! We've got your back!"
Feeling the encouragement and energy from his teammates, Mochizuki's desire to score surged. He wanted to win.