Aomine Daiki Template in Slam Dunk

Shohoku bench.

"Everyone did great—especially Aoi. Keep it up." Kogure Kiminobu stepped up the moment Aoi and the others came off the court, offering encouragement.

"We actually pulled off the comeback!" Shiozaki Tetsushi shouted excitedly.

Yasuda Yasuharu added praise as well. "This is how we should be playing."

Ayako and Shimizu Kanon handed out towels and water to each player.

Ayako didn't hold back with her compliments. "You all played really well. Keep it going! Especially you, Aoi—you evened the score in such a short time. That's amazing. But you should try passing the ball once in a while!"

Shimizu Kanon nodded repeatedly, backing her up. "Exactly! Saku-chan, don't just go one-on-five all the time. Give your teammates some chances too!"

She really wanted Aoi Kunisaku to bond more with the team.

Aoi picked up a water bottle, took a few gulps, then replied flatly, "Pass? What's the point of giving them the ball?"

The second they heard that, Mitsui Hisashi and Miyagi Ryota couldn't stay seated.

They shot up and shouted at Aoi in unison. "What did you just say?"

Aoi ignored them, casually taking another sip.

The two of them felt deeply insulted.

Grinding his teeth, Mitsui pointed at Aoi and snapped, "Kids these days seriously have no manners!"

Miyagi, face full of anger, pointed and yelled too. "You're way too full of yourself, bastard!"

"Alright, alright, enough arguing. As long as the ball goes in, who cares who scores?" Kogure quickly stepped in to stop them.

Then he turned to Akagi Takenori. "Right, Akagi?"

Akagi didn't answer. He just gave a small grunt.

Honestly, he didn't like Aoi Kunisaku's solo style either.

But Aoi's strength left him with nothing to say.

As long as Aoi had the ball, they scored easily.

That made Akagi feel torn—impressed and frustrated at the same time.

He wanted to speak up. But then again, how could he stop someone from scoring?

And if he stayed silent, it didn't feel right either.

This was the headache of having too many geniuses on one team.

Everyone was either arguing or talking over each other.

Only Sakuragi Hanamichi sat alone in the corner, face dark, clearly upset.

"Damn it! Why? Why did everyone get praised except me? I'm the only one who got benched?"

…

Miuradai bench.

"What the hell are you guys doing? You let them catch up! We're supposed to be the team taking down Kainan. How can we get pushed around by a no-name school like this?"

Miuradai's coach shouted as he pointed at the players.

He was a grim-faced, fierce-looking middle-aged man.

The Miuradai players all kept their heads down, silently enduring his fury.

Once he ran out of steam, team captain Murasame Kengo finally spoke. "Shohoku's No. 9 really caught us off guard. But that's all it is. If we lock down Akagi and that No. 9, Shohoku's finished."

He looked at Miyamoto Kazunari. "Miyamoto, play rougher. Don't let that No. 9 do whatever he wants. There's no need to be polite with them."

"Yes, sir…" Miyamoto replied immediately.

But inside, he felt uneasy.

Aoi Kunisaku's pressure was overwhelming.

Murasame swept his eyes across the team and said firmly, "Tighten up your defense in the second half. Even if you foul, it's fine. This is just the first match—we can't lose here."

The coach added, "Exactly. Shohoku's nothing special. Until now, they were just a first-round dropout team."

Then he turned to Miyamoto Kazunari. "We're putting Naitou in for the second half. Miyamoto, take a break."

"Yes, Coach," Miyamoto answered at once, clearly relieved inside.

The rest of Miuradai's bench was stunned.

They didn't expect the coach to play his trump card so soon.

But since he'd already said it, none of them objected.

Thud… thud… thud…

Heavy footsteps echoed.

A massive figure stepped behind Miuradai's coach.

He gripped a basketball in one hand, a white towel draped over his head.

With a cocky voice, he sneered, "Mitsui Hisashi? Who cares. Junior high MVP? That's nothing. High school's on a whole other level."

As he spoke, he yanked the towel off his head—revealing a gleaming, polished bald scalp.

Under the gym lights, it reflected like a mirror.

It gave him a strange, almost regal presence.

His face was rugged, wild, and full of arrogance.

He was Miuradai's secret weapon.

Name: Naitou Tetsuya.

Height: 196 cm.

Weight: 155 kg.

Position: Power Forward.

Jersey Number: 9.

Naitou Tetsuya continued, "Rukawa Kaede? Just some first-year brat. And that No. 9? I can take him by myself."

As he finished, he slowly began tightening the grip in his right hand around the basketball.

With a loud creaking sound, the basketball began to deform as it was squeezed inward by his grip.

The players from Miuradai all swallowed hard when they saw it.

"It's all on you, Naitou. Let's crush Shohoku," Murasame Kengo said.

Naitou Tetsuya grinned. "No problem."

The Miuradai coach turned to the team. "That's right. Like Murasame said, if we want to win, we do whatever it takes. Show Shohoku what we're made of."

…

BEEP—

The whistle blew.

The second half began.

Both teams took the court again.

But this time, all eyes were on one person from Miuradai.

That person was the newly subbed-in power forward wearing the No. 9 jersey—Naitou Tetsuya.

"Whoa! Who is that guy?"

"He's huge!"

"Look how jacked he is!"

"Is he really a power forward?"

"This is gonna be wild!"

…

Even Shohoku's players were stunned by Naitou Tetsuya's massive frame.

"Damn, he's built," Akagi Takenori muttered in surprise.

Mitsui Hisashi watched Naitou Tetsuya and said, "I saw his name on the roster, but seeing him in person is another thing. Scary guy."

That muscle mass had real presence.

Miyagi Ryota mentally compared himself with the newcomer.

Next to him, his build was like a bean sprout.

Good thing he wasn't matched up against him.

He instinctively glanced toward Aoi Kunisaku. "This guy should be fine, right?"

Aoi Kunisaku gave Naitou Tetsuya a quick look. He showed no reaction or surprise.

Then Naitou walked up to the Shohoku players and arrogantly announced, "Name's Naitou. Naitou Tetsuya. You better remember it."

"You talk too much," Aoi Kunisaku cut in flatly. "I don't care what your name is."

"What'd you say, punk?" Naitou bared his teeth, glaring at Aoi Kunisaku.

But he quickly backed down and grinned. I'll start with you, he thought.

At the referee's signal, the second-half jump ball began.

For Shohoku, Akagi Takenori took the jump.

For Miuradai, it was now Naitou Tetsuya.

BEEP—

The whistle blew.

The referee tossed the ball high between the two.

Akagi and Naitou jumped at the same time, both reaching for the ball.

Their hands hit it almost simultaneously.

Everyone's eyes went wide the next second.

Akagi's arm began to bend back, while Naitou's hand pushed forward more and more.

Smack!

With a heavy thud, Akagi's palm was knocked away by the ball.

Naitou won possession.

…

Shohoku's bench.

"No way… Godai actually lost the jump," Ayako gasped, eyes wide.

Shimizu Kanon pulled out a file and said, "Naitou Tetsuya used to play rugby. His strength is a bit higher than Captain Akagi's. Losing the tip-off makes sense."

Ayako turned to her. "Aren't you even a little worried?"

Kanon smiled confidently. "Don't worry, Ayako-senpai. With Saku-chan here, we're fine."

…

On the court—

The ball Naitou Tetsuya tipped flew toward Murasame Kengo.

Before Shohoku could react, Murasame drove straight into the paint, aiming for a dunk.

Mitsui and the others finally snapped out of it.

They hadn't expected Akagi Takenori to lose the tip.

But by now, chasing him down might already be too late.

Murasame's eyes gleamed with pride.

But just as he went for the dunk, a shadow blocked the light above him.

Huh?

Murasame sensed something off and looked up.

A hand appeared above his head and slapped the ball he was about to dunk.

"Too slow," Aoi Kunisaku said calmly, as if blocking the shot was nothing.

When did this guy catch up?

Murasame looked stunned.

Even Naitou Tetsuya was shocked.

He had planned to go after Aoi Kunisaku after getting the ball and showing him up.

But before he could even act, Aoi had already blocked their captain's shot.

What kind of supernatural speed was that?

Even Shohoku's players stood frozen.

Bro, how did you pull that off?

Did you somehow know Akagi would lose the tip?