Chapter 36: Vs. Teikō II
On the basketball court, players from both sides lined up in two rows, bowing in greeting.
Looking at Shintarō, Shōgo suppressed his inner excitement and greeted him.
"Long time no see, Shintarō!"
"Long time no see, Shōgo!"
At this moment and scene, how should one describe it?
This feeling is hard to understand for those who haven't experienced it. The opposing team was once their comrade. Those familiar faces, former teammates, have now turned into enemies.
Even someone like Ryōta, for some time, was still his teammate, despite the unpleasant incidents between them.
Putting aside these thoughts, Shōgo spoke to Shintarō in a serious tone.
"No need to hold back. I've been wanting to have a real showdown with you guys."
"I won't hold back!"
"That's good."
Turning his head to glance at the other members of Teikō, Shōgo saw the listless and spiritless Atsushi; the ever-watchful Ryōta; a player from the second team, whose face he recognized; and finally, the inconspicuous Tetsuya.
So, it's you guys. Are you ready?
As the team dispersed, Shōgo grabbed Arata, who was getting into position, and said seriously.
"About what I said in the locker room, do you remember?"
"I remember, Shōgo-kun. I'll carry out the task you entrusted to me."
"Very well!"
Standing in the middle of the court, watching Atsushi prepare to contest the ball, Shōgo sighed. He faced the tall figure and spoke with a hint of helplessness.
"Atsushi, I never thought I'd stand before you one day, contesting the ball."
"You should be careful, little Shōgo. Don't let me crush you!"
"..."
Alright then, big guy. Let's ring the alarm bell today.
The future aerial battle might not necessarily belong to you, big guy. Today, I'll remind you. Don't lose to others so easily in the future, especially those with red hair.
Ready, go!
Whistle!
The whistle blew, and Shōgo and Atsushi both jumped up.
In the instant that Atsushi's lazy gaze turned into shock, a loud sound followed. Atsushi felt a great force, and the basketball flew out of his hand, landing in the hands of Fukuda Integrated's captain, Arata.
Shōgo landed steadily, leaping over the still-surprised Atsushi, catching Arata's pass, and beginning to dribble.
However, before he could even start the dribble, a figure had already blocked his path.
"Haisaki-kun, let's have another little contest."
Looking at the handsome guy with golden hair in front of him, Shōgo's already excited heart began to race even faster. He wanted to show his dominance in Seijūrō and Daiki's absence.
Wow, haha, very good! Ryōta, you're getting bolder. Who gave you the confidence to challenge me?"
As the words fell, a terrifying burst of speed, with no feints, just rapid acceleration, broke past Ryōta, leaving him behind.
Left with a face full of disbelief, Ryōta was genuinely shocked. At that moment, he felt that the person in front of him was not the familiar Shōgo Haisaki, but the team's ace, Daiki Aomine.
However, Shōgo didn't have time to consider Ryōta's inner thoughts. He jumped high over the free-throw line, preparing to slam dunk.
Just then, a tall figure jumped up, and a palm came down hard toward the basketball.
The person was none other than Atsushi, who had already come back on defense. Seeing the giant palm approaching, Shōgo's eyes filled with madness.
Shōgo's mouth opened slightly, his right hand curled like a bow, and his face even twisted in ferocity.
"Atsushi, let me give you your first lesson."
Bam!
Shōgo's single hand pressed down on Atsushi's outstretched arm, forcefully sending the basketball into the hoop.
As the two figures landed, there was no communication. Shōgo turned and walked away.
On the ground, Atsushi raised his right hand, looking at it in disbelief. He had just been unable to stop Shōgo's dunk.
What's going on?
The ones who were astonished at this scene were not just Atsushi alone.
Shintarō, whose eyes behind his glasses had narrowed, and Ryōta, who looked like he had seen a ghost, were among them. Even Tetsuya had a "what's going on" expression.
As for Teikō's coach, his mouth was agape, speechless. He stared fixedly at the departing figure of the No.6, who was once his player, Shōgo Haisaki.
How could this be?
Even Satsuki, standing beside the coach, had a surprised look. But considering that Shōgo, who could activate the "Zone" with Daiki, was on the court, it seemed somewhat reasonable.
At this moment, Satsuki felt a slight pang of guilt in her heart: She hadn't informed the coach and Seijūrō-kun about Shōgo-kun's situation. Could this be inappropriate? It's all Daiki's fault for not letting me say anything.
Whistle!
The whistle blew, the basket was good, and Fukuda Junior High took the lead with a score of 2-0, opening the game.
Returning to his half, Shōgo walked up to Ryōta.
"Ryōta! Do you still want to challenge me?"
"Bring it on!"
Two figures, one yellow and one gray, swayed left and right, and the basketball pounded against the ground.
As Ryōta contemplated how to get past Shōgo, a large hand snatched the basketball from his hand.
Shintarō, who had already retreated on defense, blocked Shōgo, who had already stepped into the three-point line. Looking at Shintarō, Shōgo narrowed his eyes.
To be honest, the most unpredictable person on the court at the moment was Shintarō.
Shōgo didn't believe that Shintarō hadn't blossomed yet. He couldn't just be a one-dimensional player who only shoots three-pointers.
"Shintarō, I have high expectations for you!"
"Is that so?"
Facing Shintarō, Shōgo didn't switch to the terrifying acceleration. Instead, he moved sideways. He wanted to experience Shintarō's true strength, to clash with him directly, and to test the depth of Shintarō's abilities.
On the basketball court, Shōgo and Shintarō battled closely. Shōgo's body leaned against Shintarō's, and he forcefully jumped up for a dunk.
Then, a hand wrapped in bandages came down toward the basketball head-on, intending to block Shōgo's dunk.
But is it really that simple?
Shōgo's face twisted with determination. Feeling the power of the basketball coming toward him, second only to Atsushi, he smiled inwardly.
Then he let out a loud shout and, with brute force, pressed against Shintarō to push the basketball into the hoop.
Bam!
Interesting! His power is second only to Atsushi's. What is Shintarō hiding?
Looking at Shintarō, who was on the ground, Shōgo reached out his right hand and helped him up.
"I've found something interesting, Shintarō."
"Is that so?"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone