Kuroko's Basketball template: the king of slacking off, Shohoku's strongest sixth man.

Sakuragi touched his bald head.

For the first time ever, he didn't jump up and curse; he just curled his lip in disgust.

Rukawa Kaede didn't even lift his eyelids.

Lin Bei went even further, letting out a huge yawn and squeezing out two drops of physiological tears from the corners of his eyes.

Miyagi chewed gum, while Mitsui bent down to tighten his shoelaces.

No one paid any attention to the wild monkey that was jumping around.

The air was filled with a chillingly low pressure that sent shivers down one's spine.

That was the final stillness before the storm, the suppressed terror of battle intent under extreme focus.

……

Another venue at this time.

Another key match that started at 9:30 a.m.

Mingpeng Industrial School vs. Changcheng High School.

Mikoshiba, the ace player of the Toshinori team, who once went toe-to-toe with Shohoku during the Shizuoka training camp.

He was now desperately rushing into the restricted area, gritting his teeth and forcing a jump shot for a layup.

What stood in his way was a wall.

A wall of flesh so wide it inspires despair.

Meihou Industrial No. 15, first-year center, Morishige Hiroshi.

"Get out of here!"

Mikoshiba roared and pushed the ball toward the basket.

Morishige Hiroshi remained expressionless and didn't say a word; he simply raised his arm casually.

"Snapped!"

A sickeningly loud thud of flesh colliding echoed throughout the arena.

It wasn't a block.

The ball and the person were swatted away in mid-air!

Mikoshiba lost her balance and fell heavily to the floor.

"Counterattack!"

Mingpeng's point guard retrieved the ball, yelled, and sprinted towards the frontcourt.

That monster, weighing over 100 kilograms, was charging at an incredibly terrifying straight-line speed.

He shook off all of Chang Cheng's defenders and drove straight to the basket.

The point guard tossed the ball towards the basket without hesitation. The pass was a little too high.

But it's okay.

Morishige Hiroshi's massive body rose from the ground, instantly casting a shadow over the restricted area.

He caught the basketball in mid-air with one hand and, using the force of gravity, slammed it hard into the hoop!

"Clang—crackling!"

Alley-oop dunk!

The backboard groaned in agony.

The entire room fell silent.

This is not the kind of power a high school student should have.

It's like a game-changer.

……

"Bang!"

Kiyota Nobunaga delivered a visually striking one-handed dunk.

The basketball slammed into the hoop.

The referee blew his whistle, and the first half of the match officially ended.

Kiyota hung on the rim with one hand, and stayed there for two extra seconds before letting go and landing.

He flipped his sweaty hair in an extremely flamboyant manner, turned around, and forcefully raised his right fist towards the stands.

"See that!"

"This is Hainan's super rookie!"

Kiyota's chin was practically pointing to the ceiling, and he had a smug look on his face.

The Hainan fans in the stands were very supportive, cheering loudly.

At the other end of the stadium, at the exit.

Sakuragi Hanamichi rolled his eyes:

"Tch—what kind of class do they have to call themselves super rookies?"

Half a step away, Rukawa Kaede stood with his hands in his pockets, rolling his eyes in a surprisingly similar manner.

He coldly uttered two words: "Tch, idiot."

The two rarely reached a consensus.

Takenori Akagi ignored the two clowns.

He stood up, his broad shoulders blocking the light, his rock-like face exuding authority.

"Alright! Go warm up!"

"oh!"

The entire Shohoku team responded in unison, their momentum undiminished.

They marched onto the field in orderly steps.

The two teams met unexpectedly.

The entire Hainan team, having just finished the first half, is heading towards the locker room.

Leading the way was Maki Shinichi, who resembled a heavy tank.

Shinichi Maki paused slightly as he wiped his sweat with a white towel.

His imposing eyes swept over Shohoku and landed on Akagi's tense face.

Their eyes met briefly in the dim light.

"A tough guy like Akagi..."

"Faced with the suffocating power of Sannoh, they're probably terrified."

He still vividly remembers the feeling of helplessness that seeped into his bones when he faced Sannoh last year.

Maki's gaze passed over Akagi, trying to find the biggest variable in Shohoku.

Even Akagi is nervous, so even that unfathomable Lin Bei is probably...

The gaze freezes.

Mu's action of wiping his sweat froze, and all his psychological analysis crumbled into nothingness.

At the back of the line, Lin Bei was wearing limited-edition sneakers, his steps faltering.

He let out a very infectious yawn, and two drops of natural tears squeezed out from the corners of his eyes.

Those dead fish eyes looked like they'd just come out of an internet cafe after staying up for three all-nighters.

There wasn't a hint of tension.

He felt as if his next opponent wasn't Sannoh, but rather the Tai Chi team of the old men from the next block.

Mu Shenyi's lips twitched violently.

Does this kid even have a nervous system?

They really don't take Sannoh seriously!

"Hello!"

A hoarse voice broke the undercurrent of tension.

Sakuragi stepped out of the group and pointed at Kiyota's nose, launching into a tirade:

"idiot!"

"You show-off wild monkey!"

"The stupid way I looked hanging on the rim just now was absolutely hilarious!"

Kiyota was enjoying the lead when he was yelled at, his veins bulging.

But today, unusually, he didn't jump up and down. Instead, he affectedly draped the towel over his shoulder and spread his hands.

"Ugh, it's so sour!"

"Isn't that a case of sour grapes, just because some red-haired monkey can't reach them?"

Kiyota drawled out his words in a sarcastic tone: "Our match went smoothly, while yours..."

"Next up is Sannoh."

My condolences to you.

He clasped his hands together, his expression feigned.

"Damn wild monkeys!" Sakuragi said angrily.

"Hehehe—Can't hit it!"

Kiyota hid behind Maki Shinichi and made faces like crazy.

Just as things were in complete chaos, a sudden change occurred.

A muffled rumble of thunder came from the other end of the passage.

The concrete ground beneath my feet began to tremble slightly, and dust danced in the beams of light.

The sound started as a low hum, then increased exponentially!

"boom--!!!"

The sound wave was like a physical tsunami, violently pouring back through the narrow passage, almost overturning the light tubes on the ceiling!

"The Mountain King! The Mountain King! The Mountain King!"

"He has appeared! The invincible king!"

"Crush them! Show us the power of a tyrant!"

The frenzied, hysterical screams were mixed with the frantic pounding of the inflatable stick.

It struck everyone's eardrums mercilessly, making their hearts go numb.

"Eiji Sawakita! Look this way!!"

"Kawata! Tear the inside apart!"

The moment the Shohoku players stepped onto the court, they were abruptly stopped by this terrifying sound wave.

Miyagi instinctively covered his ears, his chewing gum motion completely frozen, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

Mitsui took a deep breath, his face turning pale.

Looking at the densely packed stands before him, he thought, "What... what's going on here?"

The entire stadium in Hiroshima Dome was filled with cheers for Sannoh.

Whenever a Sannoh player moves around, the cheers explode like a powder keg.

Sakuragi picked at his ear in annoyance, his features scrunched up:

"It's so noisy... What are these guys yelling about?!"

Rukawa Kaede frowned, his eyes filled with extreme impatience: "It's so noisy."

Akagi, standing at the very front, had half of his body bathed in the spotlight.

He didn't cover his ears, but carefully scanned the stands that were engrossed in the revelry.

Those faces were filled with blind worship of the Mountain King, and they felt that victory was a matter of course.

"Just as Coach Anzai predicted..."