CHAPTER 30: THE TWO DARK HORSE

The final.

The Spring Tournament’s last stage—after battles that felt like wars—was set.

And here we were, back where it all started.

Toyonaka High.

It felt surreal.

Dirga stood at the edge of the court, his chest rising slowly, eyes scanning the familiar figures on the opposite bench. It was a clash of past and present. The school that once shaped him... now stood as the final obstacle.

He spotted her first—Reina, Toyonaka’s fierce coach. Still with that sharp glare and arms folded, always calculating, always focused. She hadn’t changed at all.

Then, just behind her, he caught the wave of a hand—Aoi, his cousin and the manager of Toyonaka’s team. She smiled gently, waving at both him and Uncle Takeshi, who stood beside Horizon’s bench with a proud but tense look.

This wasn’t just another game.

It was his past vs his future.

...

In the commentary booth, the voices of excitement echoed through the packed gym.

"What a story we have today! The fallen powerhouse Toyonaka High versus the ultimate dark horse, Horizon High, who just beat another dark horse in Zenith!"

"Exactly! You don’t often see a final like this. Two teams no one expected—especially not at the beginning of the season. One’s a program rebuilding its legacy. The other’s writing its first Chapter in school history."

"But let’s not forget... Horizon is missing their captain, Kaito Nishida. After collapsing in the semifinal, the reports say he’s out for today."

"It’s a major blow. Kaito was their bloodline—their floor general. Without him, can Dirga really hold this team together under this kind of pressure?"

Their voices buzzed in Dirga’s ears as he finished lacing up his shoes.

The gym was alive with banners, chants, and the stomp of hundreds of feet. Toyonaka’s fans filled one side of the stands, loud and proud. But to his surprise, Horizon had its own cheering squad too. He even spotted homemade banners and matching shirts.

Dirga’s gaze found Ayaka, sitting in the front row. She gave him a wink, mouthing the words:

"Ganbatte."

He smiled back.

This is it.

Our Starting five :

PG: Dirgantara Renji

SG: Rei Hoshino

SF: Aizawa Haruto

PF: Taiga Okabe

C: Rikuya Asano

Dirga activated Inspect. He had to know what he was facing—especially after all this time.

PG : Yuto Kobayashi

Age : 16 ( second year)

Height : 163 cm

Weigh : 62 KG

Attributes :

Inside Scoring : C

Shooting : B

Playmaking : A

Defense : A+

Physical : B to A

Mental : B to B+

SG : Shunpei Arakawa

Age : 16 ( second year)

Height : 175 cm

Weigh : 75 KG

Attributes :

Inside Scoring : B to B+

Shooting : C+

Playmaking : C+

Defense : A-

Physical : B to A

Mental : C

SF : Daichi Fukuda

Age : 15 ( First year)

Height : 178 cm

Weigh : 78 KG

Attributes :

Inside Scoring : B+ to A

Shooting : C to B-

Playmaking : C

Defense : A

Physical : A- to A

Mental : B

PF : Masaki King

Age : 16 ( second year)

Height : 190 cm

Weigh : 86 KG

Attributes :

Inside Scoring : S to S+

Shooting : S

Playmaking : B

Defense : B to A-

Physical : S to S+

Mental : A

C : Haruto Senda

Age : 17 (Third year)

Height : 188 cm

Weigh : 92 KG

Attributes :

Inside Scoring : A to A+

Shooting : C

Playmaking : C

Defense : S

Physical : A+

Mental : A

A deep breath. Dirga felt a chill crawl down his spine.

Masaki King... had improved.

Even more than he remembered.

Both teams gathered at center court.

Bows were exchanged. Hands were offered. Respect shown.

Then Dirga stood face-to-face with Masaki.

A handshake. A shared look.

No words. Just fire in their eyes.

It wasn’t about friendship anymore. It was about pride.

The whistle blew.

Jump ball.

Rikuya stepped forward, his towering figure calm and silent. Across from him stood Haruto Senda, Toyonaka’s immovable wall.

The ref tossed the ball into the air.

Two monsters launched skyward.

Smack!

Rikuya got the tip. The ball flew to Taiga, who caught it mid-air and immediately dished it to Dirga.

Dirga caught it and exploded forward.

He pushed into Toyonaka’s half like a blur, his eyes already scanning the floor. But just as he entered the key—Yuto met him head-on.

That A+ defense.

Yuto mirrored him step for step, not biting on the hesitation, not fooled by the jab step.

Dirga slowed—then burst again, trying to shake him off.

But behind Yuto loomed Haruto, the paint guardian.

Tch. Too risky.

Dirga didn’t hesitate.

With his peripheral vision, he spotted Rei sliding into the weak side corner.

Dirga dropped the ball behind his back—an elbow pass.

Catch. Shoot.

Swish.

3–0.

The crowd erupted.

Dirga turned to lock eyes with Masaki.

"Your move."

Masaki inbounded to Yuto, who calmly brought it up the court. Toyonaka didn’t panic. They had the confidence of a team that had been here before.

Yuto directed traffic, handed it off to Shunpei, then flared out. A decoy.

The real play?

Masaki cutting through a double screen.

He caught the pass just inside the arc. Rei tried to contest, but Masaki barely flinched.

Fadeaway jumper.

Swish.

3–2.

Silence.

"Ohhh that’s S-tier control right there!" the commentator shouted.

"Masaki King doesn’t just score. He reminds you who owns the court."

Dirga gritted his teeth and walked the ball up.

This was just the beginning.