The viewers were wildly speculating in the bullet comments, desperately trying to interpret what Tendou's strange "Cleave!" actually meant.
Most concluded—judging from Coach Shirogane's inner thoughts—that it must be related to kendo.
Meanwhile, the second-string's offense once again hit a wall.
Their offensive ace, Yamanaka Yuta, was utterly lost under Tendou Kageyoshi's suffocating defense.
Repeated failures made the second-stringers visibly frustrated.
In a real game, the coach would've already called a timeout to settle his players down. But since today was merely an entrance test, no coaching intervention would occur.
Thus, the second-stringers had no chance to cool off.
Naturally, Tendou Kageyoshi—who'd sparked the freshmen's fierce comeback—became the first passing option for his teammates.
Without modesty, Tendou took the ball and charged forward aggressively.
Having suffered repeated humiliations, Yamanaka resolved to at least prevent Tendou from running rampant, even if he couldn't score himself.
Known for his explosive acceleration, Yamanaka immediately turned and sprinted to intercept the freshman counterattack.
They crossed half-court, one in front, one closely behind.
Meeting Yamanaka's fierce glare, Tendou leapt skyward right after passing the free-throw line, making a fiery gesture as if to dunk the ball aggressively.
Determined not to concede, Yamanaka tightened his legs and leaped up as well.
The two were similar in height, but Yamanaka clearly had a sturdier physique.
After all, freshmen were generally skinnier—not just in middle school, but even in high school or higher leagues—primarily due to age and lack of professional training.
Coach Shirogane, a former national team player, dedicated himself to training Teiko's students, intending to nurture Japan's basketball future.
His trainees inevitably developed strong physiques after just one year at Teiko.
Basketball, after all, was a sport that demanded physical confrontation.
So Yamanaka confidently believed that this collision would knock Tendou off balance. Last time, he'd merely been unprepared.
However—
At the instant of their midair collision, Tendou subtly twisted his body sideways, effortlessly avoiding direct contact.
Then, with graceful control, he delicately flicked the ball upward from his fingertips, sending it smoothly over Yamanaka's outstretched hand and just past his fingertips.
"Swish!"
The ball slipped cleanly through the net.
Kubo Jun unconsciously moved closer to the court, eyes wide.
This jumping ability, this soft touch, this body coordination, this midair finishing skill…
Wasn't this kid something special?
Tendou wasn't actually skinny—he just appeared so compared to Yamanaka, who'd benefited from Shirogane's rigorous training.
But it hardly mattered.
In his previous life, Tendou had always been slim, yet he routinely scored highly in amateur matches or casual play with friends.
All thanks to his signature finger-roll layups.
He possessed the characteristic soft shooting touch often seen in Asian basketball players, allowing him to elegantly guide the ball into the basket even in challenging circumstances.
In this aspect, Tendou was similar to NBA legend George "The Iceman" Gervin.
Even amid the NBA's notoriously muscular and physical era, Gervin had appeared fragile. Yet, thanks to his unmatched finger-roll technique and incredible coordination, he elegantly carved out prolific scoring performances among giants.
As an experienced basketball fan, Tendou naturally emulated legendary players.
He specifically practiced stylish moves—like Gervin's finger-roll, Kobe's turnaround fadeaway, and T-Mac's smooth pull-up jumper.
Forget the actual shooting percentages; he'd absolutely mastered their visual elegance.
And he looked damn cool doing it!
"Aside from the Generation of Miracles, Teiko's other players seem pretty ordinary," Tendou thought after scoring.
It made sense.
After all, the Generation of Miracles were once-in-a-decade prodigies.
If self-proclaimed geniuses couldn't dominate their peers easily, how could they call themselves geniuses?
It was akin to those NBA legends who'd jumped straight from high school into the pros—Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard.
They all shared a common trait: they dominated older competition effortlessly!
High school basketball simply wasn't enough for their skill level. Even Kobe was scouted as a magician capable of anything, while a raw Dwight Howard was hyped as an all-around big with shooting skills.
In basketball, geniuses always defied logic.
Yamanaka, as a crucial second-stringer akin to a sixth-man, would certainly be valued by most coaches.
Yet, as a mere first-year rookie, Tendou had effortlessly crushed him on both offense and defense.
Standing courtside, Kubo Jun's mind was completely blown.
He'd only come to observe Nijimura and Murasakibara. He hadn't expected to discover another diamond in the rough.
Most troubling was that he had absolutely no prior information on Tendou.
It was as if he'd appeared out of thin air.
One stellar performance might be luck, but two or three times?
That couldn't simply be luck.
Soon enough, the surprisingly exciting scrimmage ended.
After Tendou took the floor, the second-stringers managed only a pitiful 4 points in the entire second half.
Under Tendou's leadership, the freshmen successfully turned things around to win, 36-30.
In just 10 minutes, Tendou amassed 10 points, 2 rebounds—and a whopping 7 steals.
By the end, Yamanaka stepped off the court looking dazed.
He couldn't fathom how a freshman had thoroughly humiliated him.
As spectacular as he'd been in the first half, he'd become equally miserable in the second.
"You worked hard, Yuta," Nijimura Shuuzo smiled gently, offering him water.
"Captain, please don't mock me," Yamanaka responded gloomily, clearly defeated.
He felt like he'd blown his future.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not mocking you," Nijimura reassured. "I'm just relieved such a monstrous rookie chose Teiko rather than another school."
Teiko?
Right. Though he'd just been badly embarrassed by that annoying white-haired brat, the kid was now officially his teammate.
With such a player joining their ranks, why shouldn't he feel happy?
He lifted his head, gazing toward Tendou, who stood confidently among his celebrating teammates, completely surrounded.
His gloom suddenly vanished.
"Captain, do you think we can dominate Nationals this year?"
"Who knows?" Nijimura smiled faintly. His eyes shifted not just to Tendou but several other freshmen as well.
Off-camera, on another court unnoticed by the audience, other first-year newcomers had also successfully toppled the second-string members.