Aomine Daiki Template in Slam Dunk

Shohoku bench.

After coming off the court, Aoi Kunisaku went straight to his seat.

One after another, the Shohoku players approached with excited faces, showering him with praise.

"Aoi Kunisaku, you're amazing!"

"Yeah! You actually went toe-to-toe with that Sendoh."

"This time we might really beat Ryonan!"

…

Akagi Takenori looked at Aoi Kunisaku with a complicated expression.

He hadn't expected him to be this strong.

But there was no way he would just openly praise him.

Kogure Kiminobu came up beside Akagi, speaking with excitement, "Shohoku really got an incredible guy, huh? Right, Akagi?"

Though Akagi thought the same, his face remained stern as he snorted, "Hmph, just a guy with no concept of time."

Ayako slapped Aoi Kunisaku's back with no restraint in her tone. "Aoi, so you're this strong! Even Sendoh got wrecked by you. Looks like Shohoku's finally on the rise!"

Aoi Kunisaku looked calm. "It's whatever."

Just then, Shimizu Kanon walked up holding a stack of papers. "We're still down 10 points, but the advantage is on our side. Everyone, pay attention to how Ryonan's players cooperate. And keep an eye on potential passes from Sendoh. In the second half, we can…"

She started briefing everyone on Ryonan's player info and what to watch out for next half.

The Shohoku players all listened carefully.

Coach Anzai sat quietly at the side, looking like a peaceful old man untouched by the world.

When Shimizu Kanon finished, she turned toward Aoi Kunisaku.

Seeing him spacing out, she called out, "Saku-chan, are you even listening?"

"Huh? What?" Aoi Kunisaku blinked as he snapped out of it.

Shimizu Kanon sighed helplessly.

She said with irritation, "Geez, you're always like this. We're trying to catch up! We're still behind! Can you take it seriously and not get blocked so easily next time?"

"Eh?!"

Aoi Kunisaku scratched his ear and lazily replied, "Not a chance. I'm beat."

"Saku-chan…" Shimizu Kanon puffed her cheeks in frustration.

Aoi Kunisaku sighed and said, "Well… that guy's got some skill. I'll take it more seriously in the second half."

Everyone around them stared blankly at the conversation.

What the heck?

From the way they were talking… that wasn't Aoi Kunisaku's full strength earlier?

You've gotta be kidding.

At the other end of the bench—

Rukawa Kaede, who had been silent, furrowed his brows.

His eyes were fixed on Aoi Kunisaku, unreadable and deep.

Akagi Takenori also glanced toward Aoi Kunisaku, his expression hard to interpret.

…

Ryonan bench.

The Ryonan players were gathered in a circle.

Taoka Moichi was giving instructions.

His heart felt heavy. "Listen, in the second half, tighten up the defense. Don't let Shohoku score so easily."

"Yes, sir!" the Ryonan players responded in unison.

Taoka Moichi looked at Sendoh and said, "Sendoh, that No. 9 from Shohoku is yours. Shut him down."

Sendoh nodded. "Got it."

Even though he gave those orders, Taoka Moichi still felt uneasy.

The pressure Aoi Kunisaku gave him came too suddenly.

He thought for a moment, then turned to Uozumi Jun. "Uozumi, if the chance comes, back up Sendoh."

At that, both Uozumi and the others were stunned.

Was the coach really asking Uozumi to help double-team Shohoku's No. 9?

Wasn't that a bit overkill?

Even if some didn't get it, no one dared question it in front of the coach.

Uozumi, though confused, still nodded. "Understood."

…

The second half began soon after.

Players from both teams stepped onto the court again.

Ayako turned to Shimizu Kanon curiously and asked, "Kanon, earlier you said Aoi Kunisaku wasn't going all out. Does that mean he wasn't using his full strength before?"

This question caught the attention of the rest of the Shohoku team.

Even Coach Anzai, always so calm, began listening carefully.

Shimizu Kanon slowly said, "Well… it's not exactly like that. Saku-chan is the type who gets better as the game goes on. You'll understand later. If not later, then maybe right after this game ends."

It wasn't that she didn't want to explain.

She just didn't know how to explain it.

On the court—

Sendoh walked over to Aoi Kunisaku. "You're Aoi Kunisaku, right? How come I've never heard your name before?"

Aoi Kunisaku looked at him and replied, "Never heard of you either."

That was just Aoi Kunisaku talking nonsense.

Of course, it wasn't exactly a lie.

If he hadn't seen Slam Dunk in his past life, he really wouldn't know who Sendoh was now.

"Is that so." Sendoh didn't get mad.

Instead, he found the comment reasonable.

With a slight smirk, he said meaningfully, "Looks like this year's prefectural tournament is going to be a real fight. Let me see what you've got."

Aoi Kunisaku grinned and looked straight at him. "We'll see if you can handle it."

Tension instantly built between the two.

Tweet…

The whistle blew.

The second half of the Shohoku vs. Ryonan practice match had officially begun.

Right at the start, a strange pattern appeared on the court.

"What's this…" Aida Hikoichi pointed at the court, confused.

"Looks like… everyone's gathered on one side!" said a Ryonan bench player.

Taoka Moichi crossed his arms and said seriously, "This is to give the aces more space to operate. Let the aces decide the flow of the match. This setup is pretty rare."

Hearing that, the Ryonan bench players were full of awe.

Aida Hikoichi scribbled furiously in his notebook, muttering, "I see, ace vs. ace! I didn't expect Shohoku's No. 9 to be this strong. I've got to write this down."

Taoka Moichi frowned tightly, thinking to himself, "The outcome of this match… now rests entirely on the two aces."

Ryonan inbounded the ball first.

After a series of passes, the ball ended up in Sendoh's hands.

Sendoh didn't attack right away. He looked at Aoi Kunisaku and said, "Well then, let's get started!"

As soon as he spoke, the ball bounced to the floor. Sendoh's figure shifted and shot toward Aoi Kunisaku's right.

In the blink of an eye, he had passed behind him.

"He broke through!" Koshino Hiroaki said in delight.

"No, not yet," Uozumi Jun said with a serious face.

Right behind Sendoh, a red figure was hot on his heels.

It was Aoi Kunisaku.

Sendoh felt the pressure of someone closing in fast behind him.

He suddenly paused mid-sprint and threw the ball toward the other side of the court.

The ball flew toward Ryonan's power forward, Ikegami Ryoji, wearing the No. 5 jersey.

He caught Sendoh's pass, then charged straight into Shohoku's paint, about to go up for a layup.

Ah—

At that moment, Akagi Takenori jumped, spreading his arms wide to block Ikegami Ryoji's path.

"Over here…" a voice came from behind Ikegami.

He recognized it as Sendoh's voice. Without hesitation, he stopped his layup and passed the ball backward.

The ball returned to Sendoh.

By then, Akagi Takenori was already on his way down from the jump, and could only watch helplessly as Sendoh jumped up with the ball.

Just when Sendoh was about to make the layup—

Aoi Kunisaku suddenly darted in, stretched out his arm, and slapped the ball away.

Smack…

The crisp sound echoed through the court.

Sendoh's pupils twitched. But at that moment, there was nothing more he could do.

Landing back on the floor, Aoi Kunisaku looked at Sendoh and said, "Slow breaks like that don't work."

Sendoh's face darkened.

He had pushed his pace as fast as he could… but still hadn't shaken him.