Chapter 42: Fighting Spirit Born of Despair

Thud… thud… thud…

A crisp series of sounds rang out as Miyamoto Tokima landed firmly on the court. The basketball struck the floor with a heavy, forceful thump, like a hammer smashing into everyone’s heart.

The entire arena fell into deathly silence. All eyes were wide with disbelief at what they had just witnessed.

Kotaro Hayama lowered his head, his expression twisted in anguish.

His eyes were empty and unfocused, as if his soul had been drained from his body.

“My Lightning Dribbling… he used it so easily…”
Kotaro Hayama murmured, his voice filled with bitterness and despair.

The image replayed endlessly in his mind. Miyamoto Tokima had executed his proudest technique with effortless ease, crushing him with frustration and loss.

“My signature move… the skill I rely on to survive… the technique I struggled so hard to master… and he just used it like it was nothing…”

Resentment surged through Kotaro Hayama. He couldn’t understand how something he had devoted so much effort to could look so utterly powerless in front of Miyamoto Tokima.

On offense, ignoring the toll on his stamina, he had gone all out to unleash the Four-Finger Lightning Dribbling, believing it could help his team close the gap.

But he never expected that the very first time he used it, Miyamoto Tokima would keep up with him. If Kotaro hadn’t risked injury by forcing a sudden change of direction without slowing down, catching Miyamoto Tokima off guard, he might have been stopped outright.

Getting shut down on offense was one thing. But now, on defense, Miyamoto Tokima had broken through him using the very technique Kotaro prided himself on—and had done so with even greater ease.

This overwhelming blow completely shattered Kotaro Hayama’s state of mind. It was as if all support had vanished from beneath him, despair pouring endlessly from his body.

His body trembled faintly, as though he might collapse at any moment.

His eyes were filled with confusion and helplessness, as if he could no longer see a path forward.

At that moment, he seemed like someone abandoned by the world—standing alone on the court, bearing an unbearable pain and crushing defeat all by himself…

...

After a long stretch of silence, the arena exploded into thunderous noise. The crowd shouted and screamed, reacting wildly to what they had just seen.

“My god!!! Miyamoto Tokima actually used Lightning Dribbling! Isn’t that Kotaro Hayama’s signature move?!”

“Yeah! I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me!!”

“How are they supposed to play now? Their own signature move got copied in one game—there’s no way to win like this!”

“Too terrifying! This is way too terrifying!!!”

The atmosphere was completely ignited by that single play, everyone passionately discussing it.

Amid the uproar, Kotaro Hayama’s despair only deepened, his fighting spirit utterly extinguished.

Hotani suddenly snapped out of his shock, his thoughts yanked back to reality.

Worry flooded his heart, and he immediately looked toward Kotaro Hayama.

What he saw made his chest tighten—Kotaro Hayama was radiating despair from head to toe.

Hotani rushed over and asked anxiously,
“Kotaro, are you okay?”

Kotaro Hayama stood there silently, his eyes vacant. He shook his head slightly.

At that moment, the coach stood up, worry etched across his face. He looked toward the court and decisively signaled the referee for a timeout.

A sharp whistle sounded.

“Beep! Fukuda requests a timeout!”

The Fukuda players trudged off the court, exhaustion heavy on their faces. The impact Miyamoto Tokima had just delivered was simply too great.

Kotaro Hayama slumped weakly onto the bench. The coach looked at him with pain in his eyes, let out a deep sigh, and said,
“Kotaro out. Suzuki in.”

Kotaro Hayama didn’t respond. He remained seated, quietly pulling a towel over his head, completely hiding his expression.

Seeing this, Hotani grew anxious. Gritting his teeth, he shouted,
“Don’t give up, Kotaro! We can’t lose like this!”

Still, Kotaro Hayama gave no response.

Hotani froze.

He knew it—Kotaro Hayama’s mentality had collapsed. If it wasn’t fixed now, there was a chance he might never play basketball again.

That thought hardened Hotani’s resolve.

He would not allow Kotaro Hayama to give up basketball. Absolutely not.

Just as he was about to voice his thoughts to the others, he noticed his teammates nodding at him with firm, determined expressions.

Hotani immediately understood—they felt the same way.

He smiled faintly and nodded back.

Next… they were going to fight with everything they had!!

...

The timeout ended quickly, and both teams returned to the court.

Before they stepped back in, the coach spoke softly, as if he already knew their intentions,
“I’m counting on you all.”

The Fukuda players turned back, nodded firmly, and answered in unison,
“Got it!”

The game resumed. Fukuda ball.

Hotani brought the ball past half court and immediately called for a screen. Suzuki stepped up to set it for him.

Hotani’s defender switched to Miyamoto Tokima. Instead of fear, Hotani radiated a fierce fighting spirit.

Miyamoto Tokima was momentarily taken aback.

‘Huh? The team’s been pushed to the brink, and he can still show this much fighting spirit… he’s a real man.’

Miyamoto Tokima silently praised him. Most players would have given up long ago after being overwhelmed like this.

But Hotani hadn’t. Not only that—his fighting spirit had surged even higher.

Hotani took a deep breath to steady himself, then exploded forward, driving hard toward Miyamoto Tokima’s right side.

Miyamoto Tokima didn’t hold back despite his respect. He reacted instantly, cutting off Hotani’s path and extending a hand to steal the ball.

However, Hotani had no intention of challenging him head-on. After one step, he quickly passed the ball to Suzuki.

Miyamoto Tokima’s outstretched hand grasped nothing but air.

Suzuki caught the pass and, without hesitation, drove past Seijuro Akashi’s right side, pushing off hard with his left leg.

Seijuro Akashi reacted quickly, adjusting his position to block Suzuki’s path—but just as he moved, he felt himself collide with someone.

In an instant, Seijuro Akashi realized what had happened, his heart sinking.

‘A screen…! Damn it!!!’