Chapter 97: Rakuzan Falls, the First Championship
On Rakuzan’s bench, a first-year spoke again in disbelief,
“Why… why didn’t the senior jump either? That was just an ordinary shot!”
In the stands, Teppei Kiyoshi was utterly stunned.
‘What on earth is going on? This is ridiculous!’
On the court.
Rakuzan’s coach called a timeout, preparing to find out what was happening.
Rakuzan’s power forward stood there in a daze, unmoving for a long time, until the center came over and snapped him back to his senses.
“What’s going on?!”
The power forward replied blankly,
“I… I can’t jump… I really can’t jump…”
“What?! You can’t jump?!”
The center’s voice was filled with disbelief. A simple shot had left both Reo Mibuchi and the power forward unable to jump—there was no way that sounded real.
Meanwhile, Daiki Aomine was explaining to the Teikō players how Miyamoto Tokima’s shot worked.
Only then did everyone show looks of sudden realization.
Seijuro Akashi spoke up,
“Tokima really is a prodigy. To think he’d come up with something like that.”
Atsushi Murasakibara nodded blankly.
“Yeah, Tokima’s amazing. But Aomine, how did you know about it?”
Daiki Aomine laughed twice.
“Because Tokima used this move when we played one-on-one before.”
Kōzō Shirogane immediately caught the key point.
“Aomine, you’re saying Tokima played you one-on-one?!”
Aomine hadn’t realized how serious that sounded and was about to keep talking.
Miyamoto Tokima reacted instantly, clamping a hand over Aomine’s mouth to stop him.
“Haha, Coach, Aomine meant back before school started. Not recently—definitely not recently.”
Tokima smiled awkwardly as he explained to Kōzō Shirogane.
Kōzō Shirogane looked at him skeptically.
“Oh? Is that so?”
Tokima nodded earnestly.
“Yes, Coach. I definitely wasn’t lying.”
“Then why did you cover Aomine’s mouth?”
“Because Aomine forgot. His memory’s been a bit messy lately, right, Aomine?”
Tokima released his grip and shot Aomine a series of frantic looks.
Aomine reacted quickly, scratching his head with an awkward grin.
“Yeah, Coach. That was back when Tokima and I had just met.”
Kōzō Shirogane was still a little doubtful, but he didn’t pursue it further and let the matter drop.
“Tokima, remember this: your bodies are still developing. Don’t add unnecessary injuries.”
Tokima nodded repeatedly.
“Don’t worry, Coach. I’ll definitely follow that.”
Only then did Kōzō Shirogane stop pressing the issue.
Aomine immediately pulled Tokima aside.
“Tokima, what’s going on? Do you have some kind of agreement with the coach?”
Tokima sighed softly and lowered his voice.
“Coach Shirogane doesn’t allow me to go all out when I play one-on-one with you guys.”
Aomine froze.
“Huh? Why?”
Tokima explained,
“Because we’re still growing. Going all out in one-on-ones could put unnecessary strain on our bodies.”
Aomine nodded gloomily.
“Ah… I see…”
Suddenly, Aomine thought of something and asked excitedly,
“The coach just said not to go all out. So if we’re the ones taking the impact, wouldn’t that be fine?”
Tokima rolled his eyes.
“I can manage that. Can you?”
Aomine scratched his head and laughed sheepishly.
“Looks like… I can’t…”
...
The game resumed.
As soon as Reo Mibuchi stepped onto the court, he ran straight up to Miyamoto Tokima.
“What do you call that move?”
Tokima turned to look at Reo, who was clearly seeking guidance, and smiled faintly.
“[Void].”
Reo murmured under his breath,
“[Void]… [Void]…”
He suddenly turned his head.
“Can you tell me the principle behind it?”
Tokima smiled mysteriously.
“I could—but why should I?”
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Reo standing there alone.
The game continued, but Tokima and Reo seemed almost detached from it, as if they were outside the match.
Reo immediately chased after Tokima and called out,
“Master!”
Tokima froze and turned around in disbelief.
“What did you just say?”
Reo looked at him seriously and called out again,
“Master! Please teach me!”
After speaking, Reo bowed deeply.
That completely threw Tokima off. He hurriedly pulled Reo back up.
“Alright, alright, I’ll teach you. You don’t need to call me Master—I was just joking.”
Reo shook his head.
Tokima pressed a hand to his forehead helplessly.
‘What a stubborn guy…’
In the end, Tokima didn’t argue about the title anymore. After explaining the basic principles, he said nothing further. The rest would depend entirely on Reo’s own understanding.
“Beep!”
The final buzzer sounded, locking the score at 126–52.
In the fourth quarter, Rakuzan failed to score a single point, completely shut out by Teikō.
The spectators stared at the scoreboard, utterly shaken.
No one could have imagined that the finals would end up so one-sided—Teikō had won by a staggering 74 points.
The many middle schools watching the match hurried back to prepare new plans.
Because the strength Teikō had just displayed had completely shocked them.
It was clear that for the next two years, Teikō Middle School would be the greatest rival for every other school.
Without exception.
Teppei Kiyoshi stood up, his expression solemn.
‘I never thought you’d lose this badly, Mibuchi.’
He stared at the 126–52 score, his heart filled with shock.
Such a brutal margin appearing in a championship match was almost unbelievable.
Looking deeply at the Teikō players, Teppei thought,
‘Are you guys… still evolving?’
Both teams lined up, bowed politely, and left the court.
Rakuzan’s third-years could no longer hold it in—tears streamed down their faces.
Their final game had truly come to an end, though there was a small sense of relief.
For the next two years, they wouldn’t have to face a monstrous team like Teikō.
That burden would fall to their juniors instead.
The Teikō players didn’t leave right away. They gathered beside the scoreboard and took a group photo, recording the first championship of their lives.
The reporters swarmed in like sharks catching the scent of blood, snapping photos frantically.
Amid the flashing lights, the Teikō players slowly made their way back to the locker room…
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