Coach Arimoto's voice echoed through the gym, filled with frustration. "What in the world are you guys doing? You all look sloppy out there. Can't you handle a weak team like Toshigawa? I'm really disappointed with your performance. You guys better start focusing before I remove all of you from the A-team. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Coach!" the Yokonan players shouted with pride, their voices booming across the court.
"Good," Arimoto said firmly. "We are going to pressure them full court. Watch that number four and keep him in check. I want you to guard him out of the game, Eiji."
"Yes, Coach," Eiji replied confidently. "I'll make sure he doesn't even touch the ball for the rest of the game."
"Let's see what they can do without their point guard," Arimoto smirked before turning to another player. "Manabu, start warming up. You're going in."
"Me? But Coach…" Manabu hesitated, caught off guard.
"Ensure that you execute my instructions on the court," Arimoto cut him off. "I want to see a hundred points by the end of this game."
"Yes, Coach," Manabu said as he quickly removed his T-shirt and started stretching.
"Keep it up, guys! You're doing great!" Nanaho cheered from the sidelines.
"Of course we are! We're the best!" Noboru boasted, grinning confidently.
"Yes… I suppose so," Nanaho replied, patting him on the back.
"At this rate, we might actually stand a chance," Hayato added as he wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Just play hard until the sound of the whistle," Yukio reminded them, his expression serious as he and his team prepared to return to the court.
"Substitution," the referee announced. Toshigawa's players turned toward the scorer's table, and their eyes widened in shock as they saw who was checking in.
"Huh? Isn't that… Manabu?" Hayato muttered to himself.
"It's that guy from earlier… the one who was kind enough to lead us to the room," Nanaho thought as she stared at him.
"Yes… Let's go!" Manabu said under his breath, his eyes burning with determination as he stepped onto the court. He quickly grabbed the ball and inbounded it to Eiji, who began dribbling up the court.
Seeing the play unfold, Hayato immediately stepped in front of Eiji, ready to defend. Without hesitation, Eiji signaled for a screen from Ryuu.
"Hayato! A screen on your left!" Takahiro shouted.
"Right! Thanks!" Hayato reacted swiftly, maneuvering around the screen, but before he could recover, Eiji executed a quick crossover to the left, blowing past him completely.
"Crap! He broke through!" Hayato thought, scrambling to catch up.
Shino, who was positioned nearby, quickly stepped in to help, leaving his man unguarded. "I won't let you get to our basket!" he declared, eyes locked on Eiji.
Eiji smirked. With a swift flick of his wrist, he passed the ball out to Manabu, who was waiting behind the three-point line. Without hesitation, Manabu rose for the shot.
Shino rushed toward him, attempting to contest it, but the ball left Manabu's fingertips with perfect form. It sailed through the air, spinning gracefully before sinking cleanly through the net.
Swish!
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"Nice shot, Manabu!" someone from the stands shouted excitedly.
"Yukio, pass the ball!" Hayato called, eager to retaliate. However, before he could even position himself, Eiji smothered him with tight defense, denying him any space to receive the pass.
"Damn! What the hell is this?" Hayato thought, struggling to shake free from Eiji's suffocating defense.
Meanwhile, the entire Yokonan team ramped up their full-court pressure, pressing Toshigawa's players aggressively. Yukio, now struggling to find an open teammate, hesitated as the five-second violation loomed.
"Damn, they're not freeing up each other well! They can't shake off their defenders!" Yukio panicked as the whistle blew.
"Five-second violation! Yokonan's ball!" the referee announced.
Manabu quickly freed himself from his defender and ran around the arc. "Eiji, I'm open!" he called.
Eiji immediately passed the ball to him, but as soon as Manabu caught it, Shino stepped up aggressively, determined to shut him down.
Manabu faked a shot, causing Shino to leap in the air. As soon as Shino committed, Manabu drove left, creating space for another attempt. He rose up for the three-pointer, releasing the ball with confidence.
The ball soared high, then—
Swish!
Another perfect shot.
"That guy… the coach just subbed in… he's a dangerous player," Nanaho thought, a sense of unease creeping over her.
"God dammit! He made another one! He's really pissing me off!" Noboru clenched his fists in frustration.
"Hahaha, that number six is an amateur!" Ryuu taunted.
"Let's get back to pressing them!" Manabu called out.
"That's it, everyone! Keep up the good work!" Arimoto smirked from the sidelines. "She may be a coach, but there's no way a high school girl can strategize as well as me. I have twenty years of coaching experience, and my team has some of the best players in the country. They don't stand a chance."
On the next play, Takahiro inbounded the ball to Shino, but before he could react, Manabu lunged in, stealing the ball cleanly.
"Crap! A steal!" Shino gasped.
Manabu swiftly passed to Eiji, who then dished it off to Ryuu. Ryuu attacked the basket with force, finishing with an easy layup.
Toshigawa's possession didn't last long. Yukio lost control of the ball, and Eiji capitalized, driving straight to the rim for another layup.
"This looks really bad. What are they going to do?" Haruko muttered, watching the game unfold with growing concern.
"Catch, Noboru!" Hayato yelled, launching a desperate long pass.
"Okay, I got it!" Noboru reached for the ball, but before he could secure it, Manabu darted in, stealing it right from his grasp.
"Oh no! I messed up!" Noboru realized in horror.
Manabu sprinted down the court with Noboru chasing after him. As Manabu reached the three-point line, he set his feet and went up for a shot.
"I have to make up for losing the ball! I'll stop this ugly four-eyes bastard!" Noboru thought, leaping from behind to block the shot.
But before he could make contact with the ball, his hands pushed against Manabu's back.
Whistle!
"Pushing foul! Black, number ten!" the referee announced.
The ball had already left Manabu's hands before the foul, and—
Swish!
"Damn it! He still made that!" Noboru cursed.
"You can't be serious! That was all ball! Why you—"
"Calm down, Noboru. We'll get it back," Yukio tried to reassure him.
"Tch! As if we can!" Noboru scoffed, brushing off Yukio's attempt to calm him.
Manabu stepped to the free-throw line, took a deep breath, and released the ball smoothly.
Swish!
"A four-point play! Not bad, Manabu!" Kogure whistled in approval.
"I can't believe he's just a freshman. He's incredibly talented," Kayano said in amazement.
"Yes, I was lucky enough to scout him," Arimoto nodded. "I saw him in junior high and knew he was special. His old coach never used him properly. Now look at him, controlling the game with only a month of training."
The next possession, Eiji lobbed the ball ahead to Ryuu on the fast break.
"I owe you one for dunking on me, number seven!" Ryuu shouted before leaping up and slamming the ball down over Yukio, knocking him to the ground.
"Take that! All of you are trash! It's time you learned your place!"
"Damn that bastard! How dare he humiliate our Captain like that?" Noboru seethed.
Yukio lay on the floor, momentarily stunned, before Takahiro extended a hand to help him up. "Yukio, don't mind him! We're still in this!"
"Eighteen to four… This is bad," Haruko whispered.
"I can't let the game go on like this. I have to do something," Nanaho thought, clenching her fists.
"Fukazawa-senpai," Tetsuo called.
"Yes, I know what I have to do," Nanaho replied firmly.
"Timeout! Toshigawa Academy!"