The third quarter began with Yokonan in possession of the ball. Kayano dribbled the basketball up the court, now in an even more relaxed state. Hayato stepped up to guard him, determined to stop whatever he was plotting.
"I can't afford to let him break through our defense, not when Kogure is out here playing," he said to himself.
Following Yukio's instructions, Tetsuo guarded Manabu closely. No matter how much Manabu tried to shake him with feints and fakes, he was unsuccessful.
"Damn it, he won't budge," Manabu thought to himself, frustrated.
"You're not scoring any more points on my watch, so stay put," Tetsuo said, his face unreadable.
"How dare you, you overconfident bastard," Manabu muttered angrily.
On the wing, unexpectedly, Ryuu set a solid screen for Kogure.
"Crap, they didn't warn me," Yukio thought to himself as he scrambled to recover.
Kogure darted toward the hoop, making eye contact with Kayano. Understanding the signal, Kayano faked a pass to the corner, drawing the defense's attention, then launched the ball towards the rim.
Kogure timed his jump perfectly, catching the ball mid-air and executing a powerful windmill dunk.
"No way... did he just...?" Noboru's voice trailed off in shock as the ball bounced on the floor.
The gym erupted.
"Kogure is amazing! What a dunk!" shouted a soccer player from the crowd.
"Kogure-senpai, you're so cool!" a first-year girl squealed.
Jogging back on defense, Kogure smirked.
"Good work, Yukio. You managed to get me out here, but you'll have to do better than that if you want to win."
On the next possession, Hayato passed the ball to Yukio inside the key. Yukio faked a shot, baiting the defender, then quickly dished the ball to Takahiro, who had gotten free from the play.
Takahiro took his shot, a clean mid-range jumper, expecting an easy two points.
However, in a flash, Kogure sprinted across the court, leaped, and swatted the ball away.
"Crap, how did he block me? I was wide open!" Takahiro thought in disbelief.
Kayano recovered the loose ball and exploded into a fast break, dribbling at full speed down the court. With perfect timing, he passed to Kogure, who took a rhythmic dribble before spinning 360 degrees into a thunderous dunk.
The crowd's roar was deafening.
"Hurry up! Kogure's playing in the match. Apparently, Toshigawa was putting up a fight," a girl from the swim team called out.
"Wow, they must be really good," another swimmer responded.
"Are you coming, Aoi? Your boyfriend is playing. I'm sure seeing you will make him play even better."
"I'm coming," Aoi said, grabbing a towel as she stepped out of the pool.
Back on the court, Kayano dribbled up and immediately passed to Kogure. Yukio stepped up, determined to shut him down.
Kogure barely acknowledged him. He casually crossed the ball between his legs, then stepped back, creating space, and launched a deep three-pointer. The ball swished through the net without even grazing the rim.
"Yes! Let's go! Nice shot, Kogure-senpai!" Eiji cheered.
Nanaho clenched her fists.
"How did the game shift away from us this quickly?" she thought.
"We were leading by nine points earlier, and now we're down by eleven—52 to 63. That guy is unreal. He just came on and already scored twenty points."
In the stands, whispers spread like wildfire.
"I heard Toshigawa was leading, but it looks like Yokonan took over."
"And it's all thanks to Kogure. He's really something."
Aoi, unfazed, simply nodded.
"Yes, he is."
On Toshigawa's bench, exhaustion and despair were settling in. Almost everyone was breathing heavily, their eyes reflecting doubt.
"Wow, they're losing badly," Airi remarked as she continued snapping pictures.
"Yeah, but that guy is just too good. It's not really a reflection of their inadequacy," Yuri added.
Kanae adjusted her notebook.
"Keep taking those pictures, Yuri. Keep writing. I have a feeling something amazing is going to happen."
On the court, Noboru wobbled, barely maintaining balance against Kogure's physicality.
"Damn it, this guy is strong," he muttered.
Yukio, too, felt the weight of the situation.
"I hate to admit it, but I can't handle him. And with Kayano assisting him, he's even more dangerous."
Nanaho bit her fingernails anxiously.
"What can I do? We're seriously outclassed in both offense and defense. The only reason the score is still close is because of Tetsuo guarding Manabu. But there's no way we can win this."
Even Hayato, normally brimming with confidence, felt his resolve slipping.
"It's over. There's no way we can win. We've lost," he thought.
But then—
"Nakajima! Pass me the ball!" Tetsuo's voice cut through the silence.
Hayato turned, startled.
"Tetsuo... he doesn't want to give up," he realized.
He quickly passed the ball.
Tetsuo pushed forward aggressively, dribbling into enemy territory. Manabu and another Yokonan player stepped up to block his path.
Tetsuo attacked without hesitation. He crossed the ball behind his back, exploding past both defenders.
"So fast! He wasn't this quick before!" Manabu thought in shock.
Kayano stepped up next, trying to contain him, but Tetsuo spun past him effortlessly.
And then—Kogure.
"Where do you think you're going, Number Eleven?" Kogure teased, sliding into position.
Tetsuo crossed through his legs, trying to shake him, but Kogure reacted instantly, staying right in front.
Tetsuo stepped back—Kogure anticipated it, leaping to block—
But Tetsuo had already released the shot. A deep three-pointer.
Kogure's eyes widened.
"No way… I know this hand placement…" he thought, stunned.
The ball swished through the net.
Silence.
Then—
"Amazing! He made another one!" a student shouted.
"That Number Eleven… he's a true sharpshooter," Kayano admitted to himself.
"He might even be better than Manabu. No… he definitely is."
Haruko stared at Tetsuo in awe.
"He's still fighting… even though there seems to be no way for them to win."
Yukio watched, his emotions in turmoil.
"Kawaguchi…"
How could he be giving up so easily when Tetsuo—his junior—was still fighting?
Hayato exhaled sharply, then slapped his own face, tightening his headband once more.
"This game isn't over until time runs out. That's what you said, right, Captain?" Tetsuo looked at Yukio, his expression fierce.
"So until this game is over, let's push ourselves to the limit and win."
Yukio's eyes widened.
"This is the first time he's ever expressed himself like this. He really wants to win."
"Alright, everyone!" Yukio shouted, clenching his fists.
"Let's fight hard! We're still in this game!"
As the energy shifted, Kogure casually walked up to Tetsuo.
"Hey, you there. Number Eleven. Does the name Hisashi Kawaguchi mean anything to you?"
Tetsuo's breath caught.
"Hisashi… Kawaguchi…?"
Kogure smirked.
"I see. I was right. You're Tetsuo Kawaguchi… the son of former international basketball player Hisashi Kawaguchi."