The Intense Match

"Nice one!" Shiro grinned as he reached out his right hand for a solid high-five with Midorima.

"Good pass" Midorima responded, a rare, subtle smile tugging at the corners of his lips—clearly pleased with their smooth execution.

Just then, the referee's sharp whistle echoed across the court—"Beep!" Midorima's flawless three-pointer found the net with a swish.

However, Fukuyama's coach frowned deeply, sensing danger. Without hesitation, he called for a timeout.

"Alright, everyone, listen up!" The coach quickly gathered his team around, locking eyes with Hayama. His tone turned serious. "Hayama, next time, have your teammates set screens for you. We need to get you free from their small forward's defense"

"But Coach, I think I can handle this by myself..." Hayama began, only to be interrupted mid-sentence.

The coach's expression grew stern. "It's not a question of your ability. If you avoid their forward, you'll save energy for the plays that matter. We're counting on you to carry us through this match. You understand that, right?"

After a moment's hesitation, Hayama reluctantly nodded, accepting the plan even though it went against his instincts.

"Good. Hayama stays as the core of our offense. The rest of you need to move constantly—find your openings and spread the floor. Got it?" The coach's gaze swept across his team.

"Got it!" They responded in unison, their voices sharp and determined.

"You're amazing, Shiro!" Momoi's face was flushed with excitement as she handed him a water bottle and towel.

Shiro accepted them with a small smile, quietly nodding his thanks.

Meanwhile, Coach Shirogane, addressed the team with a calm but commanding tone. "Everyone is performing well. Now, all we need to do is lock down Hayama. Once we neutralize him, the rest of the team won't pose much threat."

His sharp gaze flickered toward Shiro. "Stay focused and keep up the pressure"

"Understood" The players nodded in agreement.

The referee's whistle blew, signaling the end of the timeout—"Beep!" The game was back on.

Fukuyama's point guard took control, dribbling swiftly toward the top of the key, signaling for Hayama to set a screen.

Without hesitation, Hayama moved into position and slid right, blocking Shiro just enough to force a switch between Shiro and Akashi.

Akashi's expression turned serious. 'They're targeting me again' he thought.

Although Akashi's skill was impressive, his height and wingspan were still limiting factors at this stage. Without his Emperor Eye yet awakened, switches exposed him as a weak link in their defense.

The point guard took advantage of the screen, threading a precise bounce pass toward Hayama, who instantly launched into his Lightning Dribble—"Three fingers!" echoed through the court as Hayama dashed past Akashi effortlessly.

With a burst of speed, Hayama streaked toward the basket like a bolt of lightning.

"Help defense!" Akashi shouted, scrambling to recover.

Murasakibara, towering like a giant, stepped in to block Hayama's path. With arms spread wide, he stood like an immovable wall.

But Hayama had planned for this. Drawing Murasakibara out of the paint, Hayama whipped a slick bounce pass to his center, who now stood unguarded under the basket.

The center caught the ball, preparing to unleash a powerful dunk—but Murasakibara reacted instantly, leaping like a giant shadow to contest.

At the last moment, the center flicked the ball backward—straight into Hayama's hands, who had quietly slipped behind him like a phantom.

Hayama caught the ball in mid-air, seamlessly rising for the shot. Akashi charged in from the side, desperately trying to interfere with his petite body, but all these efforts seemed to be useless.

"Swish!" The ball sailed cleanly through the net, cutting the lead to 10-4.

"That was my mistake. I'm sorry." Akashi immediately apologized to his teammates.

"It's fine, don't worry about it" Shiro reassured him with a calm smile. "Next time they set a screen, fight through it instead of switching. Don't let them force the mismatch."

"Got it!" Akashi responded firmly.

With the first quarter winding down, Teiko team grew even more cohesive. Their passes flowed smoothly, their movement fluid and precise. Fukuyama managed some flashy plays, but the tide of the game clearly favored Teiko.

The substitutes began warming up along the sidelines, preparing to rotate in—among them, Teiko's power forward, Shuzo Nijimura.

As soon as Nijimura entered the game, he unleashed his raw strength like an unstoppable force, bullying his way through the defense and dominating the court.

Fukuyama had no answer for him, and the game tipped further in Teiko's favor. By the time the starters reentered the game midway through the second quarter, the scoreboard showed a staggering 41-27 lead for Teiko.

"Akashi, let me take over this quarter. I'll crush them so thoroughly they won't know what hit them" Shiro declared confidently during a brief timeout. "Once I've done my part, we'll sub in Aomine for the showdown with Hayama"

"Fine by me" Aomine grinned, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I've been waiting for a chance to go head-to-head with him"

The rest of the team nodded their approval.

Akashi, naturally inclined toward playmaking rather than scoring, didn't argue. Murasakibara, ever lazy, was content to let others handle the offensive burden. And Midorima, knowing Shiro's incredible individual skill, had no objection to the plan.

Shiro was ready to dominate—and with Aomine's anticipated face-off against Hayama looming, the court was about to witness a clash of titans.