“Go change into training clothes.
The locker room is over there.” Eikichi Nebuya was very enthusiastic.
Boys who liked working out were good men.
There were still two months until the preliminaries for the national tournament began.
It was rare to encounter a promising seedling.
Naturally, he wanted to help the other boy blend into the team as quickly as possible.
After changing into training clothes, Hibari met everyone in the basketball club under Eikichi Nebuya’s introduction.
Everything was normal.
Nothing special.
Then the basketball club’s daily training began.
The training content was no different from most basketball clubs.
After warm-up runs came targeted individual training.
The coach watched the whole time, having players practice shooting, low-post offense, dribbling, and so on.
In a basketball club, especially a Japanese basketball club, the coach possessed absolute authority.
His gaze lingered on Hibari for quite a while, and interest rose in him.
At the middle school age, a frame approaching 180 centimeters could already be considered outstanding.
Moreover, he noticed that the mixed-race boy had a pair of arms quite suited for playing ball.
Normal basketball.
Not the kind of balls you’re thinking about.
If used properly, Chiba Middle School’s rim protection this year would certainly take another step forward.
Do not be fooled by how, in high school, every member of the Generation of Miracles seemed to grow beyond 190 centimeters.
Oh, Akashi did not count.
Important point, underline it.
The bodies of the Generation of Miracles members belonged to the very top tier.
For ordinary players, being around 180 centimeters was already fairly impressive.
Many teams’ starters were actually only in the low 170s.
All the more so in middle school.
Hibari’s almost-180-centimeter build was already very prominent.
“Eikichi, come here.” The coach called Eikichi Nebuya over and gave him a few instructions, telling him to test Hibari’s level.
“Go try out that new student’s ability.” “Me and Hibari?
Sure.
I was just thinking I’d like to see whether his muscles can hold up against contact.” Eikichi Nebuya’s greatest dream was to become a devilish muscle man.
He firmly believed that as long as one’s strength was great enough, any obstacle could be smashed into the Pacific Ocean.
“Hibari, let’s play a game.” “Huh?” Hibari was still adapting and had not expected the team captain and ace to take the initiative and challenge him one-on-one.
But that was fine too.
If he did not take down Eikichi Nebuya, how could he turn Chiba Middle School’s basketball club into his, Hibari’s, basketball club?
“Sure.
I was just thinking I’d like to test your strength too, Captain.” “Hahaha, that’s the spirit.
But let me say this first, Hibari.
I won’t go easy on you.” Although he was only a second-year, Eikichi Nebuya had already shown last year that he had the potential to become the strongest center in the nation.
In fact, if not for that monster Atsushi Murasakibara descending from the heavens this year, Eikichi Nebuya would be one of the best centers around.
Last year, Chiba Middle School had reached the national top sixteen by relying on Eikichi Nebuya, this low-post killing machine.
He used muscle to open a path, smashing opponents aside without reason and finishing the score.
“We’ll play to eleven.
Inside the three-point line is one point.
Outside the three-point line is two.” “I won’t bully you.
No fighting for rebounds.
If a shot misses, possession automatically goes to the other side.
Let’s start!” Eikichi Nebuya could hardly wait.
Seeing that the captain was about to go one-on-one with a newcomer, the other basketball club members put down the balls in their hands and gathered around to watch the show.
The result held no surprises.
The score quickly reached 9-3.
Eikichi Nebuya had not lied.
He really did not go easy on Hibari.
He used his muscles to teach Hibari a harsh lesson.
He was, after all, one of the future Uncrowned Kings.
Setting aside the few exceptions like Tatsuya Himuro and Shogo Haizaki, Eikichi Nebuya and the others were the best players beneath the Generation of Miracles.
On offense, Eikichi Nebuya backed into Hibari and bulldozed his way into the paint.
Faced with that scene, Hibari truly did not have many good options.
How was this any different from Charles Barkley using his huge backside to back Kobe down from the perimeter?
The difference was that Barkley opened the way with his butt, while Eikichi Nebuya used muscle.
Eikichi Nebuya’s low-post technique was not especially refined.
He liked using strength to solve problems.
Most of his finishes under the basket were dunks.
He lacked the variations of Teppei Kiyoshi and did not possess playmaking ability.
But that unreasonable strength of his really could solve most problems.
Seeing himself pushed into the paint again, Hibari could guess with his butt that Eikichi Nebuya’s next move would be to turn, jump, and throw down a violent dunk.
This was brute force.
If his body could not keep up, all he could do was take the beating.
The only way was to stop the other side from jumping.
With that thought, Hibari immediately reached out and slapped toward the ball in the other boy’s hands.
Eikichi Nebuya laughed.
A little trick like that obviously could not stop him.
He put power through his back and knocked Hibari away while turning to face the basket for a bombardment.
And then.
“King Crimson!” After going one-on-one with Eikichi Nebuya until now, Hibari finally activated King Crimson’s ability.
“Bzz.” Eikichi Nebuya only felt his vision blur.
A deep red seemed to streak past his eyes, making his brain freeze.
The next second, Hibari, who should have been knocked away by him, appeared on the path he had to take.
His arm struck the basketball like a stinger, dissolving Eikichi Nebuya’s attack.
“What was that?!” The coach on the sideline shot to his feet, as though something utterly unreasonable had just occurred.
“Speed?
A fake?
Reaction time?
Or something else?” For one moment, he felt as though his world had lost a bit of time.
It was like a detective mystery: even if the culprit had been identified, the most crucial evidence was missing.
Many people had not reacted in time.
They had no idea when Hibari had started moving.
That eerie sensation made their hearts race.
The game continued.
Possession changed.
Hibari held the ball on the perimeter.
“So that’s how it’s used.” Hibari was still recalling what had happened just now.
It was not truly erasing time.
Rather, at the moment he activated the skill, he entered something like bullet time from The Matrix.
In that state, Hibari felt the movement of everything around him slow down.
At the same time, his own body became incredibly light, allowing him to catch up with Eikichi Nebuya in an instant.
From reaching out for the steal to catching up with Eikichi Nebuya’s turn, he had only spent 0.5 seconds.
That made it look to others as though time had been erased, as if an important frame had gone missing.
“In that case, there’s no problem.” Hibari felt he had already grasped King Crimson’s ability.
The current him was simply terrifyingly strong.
Without hesitation, he accelerated against Eikichi Nebuya’s defense and charged over.
The latter said nothing, blocking his path and using his body to squeeze Hibari’s room to move.
Hibari broke toward the right.
Eikichi Nebuya slid sideways.
The next second.
“King Crimson!” Hibari roared in his heart, full of energy.
King Crimson’s ability activated once more.
Under everyone’s gaze, the Hibari breaking toward the right suddenly vanished.
Like a phantom, his figure gradually became transparent.
With a “whoosh,” he completed the change of direction.
When they saw him again, he had already appeared on Eikichi Nebuya’s left side.
“Accelerated drive!” Hibari swept past like a gust of wind.
In an instant, he pierced through Eikichi Nebuya’s defense, killed his way to the basket, and scored with a layup.
…
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