Aomine Daiki Template in Slam Dunk

Outside the court · Rest area.

Ayako gazed at Aoi Kunisaku and Rukawa Kaede, who were about to clash again. With interest in her eyes, she said, "Rukawa really can't sit still. After losing to Aoi last time, he couldn't wait to challenge him again. That guy hasn't changed—he's always had that bone-deep stubbornness."

Hearing that, Shimizu Kanon blinked like waking from a dream. "Oh, right! Ayako-senpai, you and Rukawa went to the same middle school, didn't you?"

Ayako nodded. "Yeah. That guy's always been super competitive. Now that we've got Captain Akagi, Rukawa, and Aoi on the team, that's already three powerhouses. If Mitsui were still with us, maybe this really could've been the year we went all the way."

"Mitsui…" Shimizu Kanon softly repeated the name. A bit of information floated into her mind. "Ayako-senpai, you're talking about Mitsui Hisashi, right?"

"You even dug that up?" Ayako blinked in mild surprise but didn't look too shocked. She already knew how sharp Shimizu Kanon's intel-gathering was.

Ayako nodded again. "I only heard from Captain Akagi and Kogure-senpai. That was two years ago. Back then, Mitsui Hisashi joined Shohoku as a middle school MVP!"

Then her tone shifted, full of regret. "But… because of some things, he's not on the team anymore."

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Miyagi Ryota and Sakuragi Hanamichi, who had been tangled up, also noticed the shift in the atmosphere.

They looked around and realized everyone had gathered on the opposite half of the court.

"What's going on?" Miyagi Ryota asked, puzzled.

"How should I know?! Now let go!" Sakuragi Hanamichi shouted, yanking his legs free.

…

"I wonder if Rukawa can win this time."

"Hard to say. Aoi is just too strong. It hasn't even been that long since their last match. Even if Rukawa's been working hard, it's way too soon to catch up."

"My bet is he's gonna lose again."

…

Hearing the whispers, Miyagi Ryota and Sakuragi Hanamichi stopped what they were doing.

"That damn fox and that dead-eyed freak, always hogging the spotlight," Sakuragi Hanamichi grumbled.

Miyagi Ryota smiled faintly and looked toward the two facing off. "So those are the so-called super rookies—Rukawa Kaede and Aoi Kunisaku?"

Aoi Kunisaku and Rukawa Kaede paid no attention to the crowd. Both were already locked in and ready.

Just like last time, Rukawa Kaede took the offense. Aoi Kunisaku defended.

"Let's see if you've improved," Aoi Kunisaku said, grinning.

Rukawa Kaede's eyes narrowed. A sharp glint flashed through them, and the air around him tensed with rising pressure.

Without a word, he slammed the basketball down and lunged forward, trying to break through Aoi Kunisaku's defense.

Aoi Kunisaku simply stepped once and blocked him clean. "That slow move won't work on me."

Rukawa Kaede quickly pulled back, pivoted, and launched into a spin to the opposite side.

"Good idea, but still too soft." Aoi Kunisaku mirrored the spin in the opposite direction and once again appeared right in front of him.

"So fast... his movements are so smooth! He shut Rukawa down instantly," Kakuta Satoru exclaimed.

Kogure Kiminobu nodded. "Looks like Aoi still has the edge."

Ayako analyzed calmly. "Looks like Rukawa's gonna lose again."

Shimizu Kanon chuckled but said nothing. She'd already guessed the outcome.

Rukawa Kaede had talent, no doubt. But compared to Aoi Kunisaku, he still had a ways to go.

On the court, the two had entered a heated chase.

Bang…

Bang…

Bang…

The echo of the ball hitting the court rang out in steady rhythm.

Rukawa Kaede dribbled rapidly, trying to find a crack in Aoi Kunisaku's defense.

But every time he made a move, Aoi Kunisaku was already there to block his path.

The two looked like a streak of blue and a streak of black, dancing at lightning speed across half the court. They stirred up a storm of motion.

Everyone watching stood frozen, stunned by the spectacle.

"Whoa! They're both insane!"

"I've never seen such a fierce battle between offense and defense!"

"I thought their last match was intense… but this is even faster!"

…

Standing on the other side, Miyagi Ryota was so stunned he couldn't say a word.

He'd heard the rumors—how strong Rukawa Kaede was, and how Aoi Kunisaku was even scarier.

But seeing it with his own eyes, he realized they were far beyond what he'd imagined.

Even Sakuragi Hanamichi had dropped his usual cocky act. He was completely drawn in by the incredible battle unfolding in front of him.

This match was just too intense.

Ayako watched the action and couldn't help but praise, "Rukawa looks like he's improved quite a bit."

Shimizu Kanon nodded along.

Compared to the last time he faced Aoi Kunisaku, Rukawa Kaede really had made some progress.

She glanced over at Aoi Kunisaku, thinking to herself, "Geez, Saku-chan, can't you take it seriously for once?"

Finally, Rukawa Kaede used a fake-out and managed to pull half a body's distance from Aoi Kunisaku. He instantly jumped into a shot.

Aoi Kunisaku remained calm. He stomped the floor hard and launched himself up, clearing the gap and landing squarely in Rukawa Kaede's face.

Rukawa Kaede's pupils shrank sharply.

But he was already mid-air, and the ball was nearly out of his hand. It was too late to adjust.

No surprise.

Next second—

Smack!

A sharp sound echoed. Aoi Kunisaku slapped down hard, delivering a clean, brutal block.

Everyone else reacted normally enough.

But Miyagi Ryota was stunned speechless. It was his first time seeing such a ridiculous defense and block. He mumbled to himself, "No way… he can block that?"

Sakuragi Hanamichi pouted, face full of envy and fake indifference. "Tch! Big deal."

"Not bad. Better than last time," Aoi Kunisaku said lazily, digging his pinky in his ear.

Rukawa Kaede's eyes flared with anger. His voice rose. "Take me seriously!"

Aoi Kunisaku shrugged it off. "Told you already—it depends on whether you're good enough."

That only fueled Rukawa Kaede's frustration. But he had no response.

Offense shifted.

Aoi Kunisaku casually dribbled the ball. His usual lazy self.

Then suddenly, he switched the ball to his left hand. In the same breath, he did a between-the-legs crossover, quickly shifting direction, and lunged forward.

Rukawa Kaede immediately dropped low, arms spread, eyes locked on Aoi Kunisaku's every move.

But the next moment, Aoi Kunisaku—who seemed about to charge in—abruptly pulled back in a weird and unexpected motion.

Watching his silhouette pull away, Rukawa Kaede's eyes widened in shock. He froze, completely forgetting to react.

More accurately, he'd been totally fooled by Aoi Kunisaku's fake-out.

He had fully expected a direct charge. The sudden pullback caught him totally off guard.

Just like that, Aoi Kunisaku created distance.

He immediately went up for the shot, calm and clean—didn't even bother to jump.

Rukawa Kaede could only stand there and watch the ball arc over his head and swish into the net behind him.

Even now, Rukawa Kaede was still trying to figure out how Aoi Kunisaku had managed that pullback in that position.

It made no sense.

Switching sides again, Rukawa Kaede stood in front of Aoi Kunisaku once more.

Everyone thought Rukawa Kaede would drive in again.

But no one expected what came next.

Maybe inspired by Aoi Kunisaku—or maybe he wanted to fight fire with fire—Rukawa Kaede suddenly stepped back to the three-point line and jumped into a shot.

It all happened too fast. No one saw it coming.

Aoi Kunisaku raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. But that was all—just surprise.

"Trying to catch me off guard?" he thought. "Well then…"

He tensed his legs, slammed his feet to the floor, and shot forward like lightning.

To everyone's shock, he closed the gap in an instant.

Then, he pushed off the floor again, leaped high, stretched out his arm, and swatted straight at the ball Rukawa Kaede was about to release.

Smack!

A sharp slap rang out across the court. The ball flew far off course.

Rukawa Kaede's second attack failed just like the first.

"Those little tricks don't work on me." Aoi Kunisaku gave him a side glance and said flatly.

Rukawa Kaede said nothing. He just moved under the basket and set up on defense.

For the next stretch of time, the sound of the ball bouncing filled the court.

The Shohoku team once again witnessed Aoi Kunisaku completely dominate Rukawa Kaede.

They'd seen it once before. But even now, it still stunned them to the core.

They'd lost count of how many rounds the two had played.

At this point, it didn't even matter.

All they remembered was—under Aoi Kunisaku's airtight defense, Rukawa Kaede hadn't landed a single shot.

Aoi Kunisaku's overwhelming strength burned itself even deeper into their minds.