Chapter 123 (The End) (Part 1)

Sendoh catches the ball, bends his knee—

"Whoosh!"

Rukawa swept across the restricted area like a black lightning bolt!

Fukuda's eyes widened: "This speed...is it a monster?!"

Sendoh's lips curled slightly as he faked a shot.

Just as Rukawa was about to block the shot, he suddenly gathered the ball and executed a light crossover!

[Boeing shouted excitedly: It's over! Fishing guy!]

Just as the basketball was about to reach its highest point—

"Dream on! You stinky Sendoh!!"

Sendoh was stunned. Sakuragi, who had returned to defend at some point, jumped high into the air.

Sendoh's eyes widened at that moment, knowing this guy's jumping ability in critical moments, but experiencing it firsthand was a different feeling altogether.

In the blink of an eye—

Sendoh catches the ball in mid-air with an incredible pull-up shot!

"Don't underestimate me!" Sakuragi roared as he leaped a second time!

The entire audience held their breath.

Immortal Dao calmly waits—

Just as Sakuragi was falling, a flick of the finger sent the basketball arcing through the air towards the basket!

Sakuragi's aerial interception had already thrilled the audience, but Sendoh's aerial change of direction was even more impressive!

Did the first goal belong to Ryonan?

"Bang--"

A hand with distinct knuckles slapped the ball away!

[Wow—the whole place erupted!]

[Oh my god!]

[It's Rukawa Kaede! It's Rukawa Kaede!]

That's amazing!

The moment Rukawa landed, he sprinted with the ball, with Sakuragi following closely behind.

"Don't try to steal the spotlight, you stinky fox!!"

"idiot!"

The Shohoku duo swept across the field like a storm!

The audience was shouting wildly as Rukawa Kaede charged toward Ryonan's basket as if he were about to slice through the air.

Sendoh was hot on their heels, and the Ryonan generals fought desperately to defend.

"Don't even think about going over there!" Sakuragi suddenly turned around and stood in front of Sendoh.

Sendoh swayed his shoulder rapidly, and although Sakuragi was thrown back half a step, it was this instantaneous delay—

Rukawa has driven to the basket!

Uozumi and Rukawa clashed, but Rukawa calmly leaped, his body brimming with explosive power. His arm deftly slipped past Uozumi's massive hand, his fingertips flicking lightly—

"Whoosh!"

The basketball spun as it brushed against the backboard and went into the net.

2:0

Sakuragi breathed a sigh of relief and high-fived Rukawa, who had returned to defend. Their crisp applause was drowned out by the boiling cheers.

—From the stands—

Shinichi Maki gave this shot a very high evaluation: "Rukawa's shot was of very high quality. It's not just because of his speed and scoring technique, but also because of his cooperation with Sakuragi, which slowed down Sendoh's speed."

A Shen nodded: "The team's technical characteristics are fully reflected."

Kiyota frantically rubbed his hair: "When did these two idiots become so in sync?!"

Rukawa's score greatly boosted Shohoku's morale, and the audience erupted in cheers.

Such an opening statement raised everyone's expectations for the competition even higher.

"Go, fisherman!!"

A clear female voice suddenly pierced the noise of the stadium. Behind the Ryonan bench, Hanon Haruka climbed onto the bench, her long golden hair shimmering under the lights.

She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Beat that expressionless kid to a pulp! I'll treat you to the finest tuna!"

Sendoh bent down to pick up the basketball, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the swaying figure and sighed helplessly.

Fukuda approached with a worried expression: "Their coordination..."

"Don't worry." Sendoh's lips curled into a dangerous smile as he tossed the ball to Uekusa. "It's our turn."

The moment he received the ball, Sendoh suddenly sprang into action!

The first step was so fast it was almost a blur, tearing a gap in Rukawa's defense.

Rukawa's pupils contracted sharply; Sendoh was even faster than before! He chased after him with all his might, only to see Sendoh accelerate again at the free-throw line!

Mitsui's reinforcements had just arrived when Sendoh accelerated past again!

Sakuragi roared and charged forward, only to be easily toyed with by a deft left hand.

Akagi leaped up as if a mountain were pressing down on him: "Sendoh! That's enough!"

Aerial showdown!

Sendoh's waist and abdomen arched backwards before the collision—

Right hand pulls the lever!

"Whoosh!"

The basketball swished cleanly through the net.

2:2

Sendoh brushed past Rukawa while returning to defend.

"Hey," Rukawa said coldly, "Are you trying to look cool?"

Upon hearing this, Sendoh chuckled lightly: "You've been discovered?"

He turned to look at the figure gesticulating wildly on the sidelines and shrugged: "After all, I always want to look cool in front of my wife."

Rukawa's knuckles cracked: "..."

"Ahhh, Sendoh is so cool!!" Hanon Haruka excitedly waved the Ryonan flag. "See this! This is the number one in Japan who turns fishing and basketball into art—mmm!"

Yan Yi desperately covered her mouth: "The coach is going to kill someone!!"

Intense battle on the field.

Ayako: "Although the match was really exciting, I always felt like something was missing..."

Hanon stared at the arena: "They're trapped in the 'final battle'."

Rukawa's excessive close marking of Sendoh and Sakuragi's frequent help defense resulted in gaps in his defense, preventing them from showcasing their own unique style.

Coach Anzai rarely spoke up: "Oh ho ho~ What Shohoku needs to guard against is not Sendoh, but their own self-imposed prison."

At this moment, Ryonan is already leading Shohoku by six points.

Hanon made a gesture towards the palace.

Miyagi rushed to Rukawa's side: "Leave Sendoh to me."

He lowered his voice: "Go and tear their defenses apart—"

Miyagi's words brought Rukawa back to his senses.

This isn't a one-on-one match; it's a competition. You don't need to take on Sendoh single-handedly; you need to leverage the power of the entire team.

He turned his wristband around. "Idiot."

He tossed a line at Sakuragi: "It's time to fight back."

Sakuragi was taken aback at first, then grinned: "That stinky fox can finally speak human language!"

...

Sendoh dribbled with fluid grace, and Miyagi, despite his close pursuit, was still left half a body length behind.

The audience dared not breathe.

But just as Sendoh stepped into the three-second zone, Miyagi changed speed again to chase back!

He deliberately lagged behind by half a beat, positioning himself behind Sendoh to steal the ball. Sendoh was forced to pass, and the moment Uekusa caught the ball—

"Don't even think about it!" Sakuragi followed closely, blocking his way.

The basketball passed through several hands before finally reaching Fukuda, but Mitsui stood in his way like a ghost. Fukuda managed a pass—

"Smack!"

The palace was cut off by lightning!

During the fast break, Miyagi and the defender were locked in a tight battle, and at the critical moment—

Mitsui suddenly moved to the side to provide cover!

The moment Fukuda lunged, Mitsui calmly retreated, savoring the long-lost muscle memory—

Right arm at a 45-degree angle,

Press your wrist down 3 centimeters.

Make your move!

The basketball traced an unprecedentedly long arc!

Under the basket, Akagi and Uozumi were locked in a fierce battle like giant beasts, but Akagi could only watch the ball disappear into the distance.

"Whoosh!"

Hollow-core netting!

"This distance..." Kiyota's eyes widened as he nudged A-Shen, "Can you throw it?"

A-Shen stared at Mitsui's position: "Didn't you notice?"

"Everyone from Shohoku pulled Ryonan's players to the basket, but Mitsui remained at the furthest point. They believed that Mitsui... would make the shot no matter how far away he was."

Shinichi Maki gripped the railing tightly: "Shohoku... this team is evolving into a true 'team'."

Mitsui's long-range shot quickly allowed Shohoku to tie the score.

De Nan excitedly waved a flag and shouted, "Mitsui is so cool! He's really so cool!"

...

Sendoh passed the ball to Fukuda.

"!"

Fukuda's neck hairs stood on end, and Sakuragi's breath was already blowing against his ear!

When the ball was released, Fukuda could clearly feel Sakuragi's fingertips touch his ball. The basketball's trajectory deviated slightly and slammed heavily against the front edge of the rim!

Akagi and Uozumi both suddenly erupted under the basket!

The instant four giant hands clenched the basketball—

"Drink it!"

Akagi used his core strength to forcefully press the ball down with a wrestling-like motion!

Sakuragi received the ball and sprinted forward, but was intercepted by Sendoh outside the three-point line.

The entire audience held their breath.

Hanon's voice was clear and bright: "Flower Path, in your own way!"

Sakuragi's ears twitched, and he suddenly took a step back—

No feints, no fancy dribbling, just pure explosive straight-line breakthroughs!

Immortal Dao's pupils constricted sharply: This guy... deliberately widened the breakthrough distance to negate my prediction!

But a king would not easily back down! Sendoh followed closely, forcing Sakuragi into a corner on the sideline—Sendoh blocked him on the left, while there was no one on the right.

Even though Rukawa was in the rear, any back pass would be tantamount to suicide!

The entire Shohoku bench stood up: "Go Sakuragi!"

Miyagi and Mitsui were positioned not far away. If they got too close, it would only burden Sakuragi and exacerbate the chaos. They had to stay here so that they could quickly get into defensive mode once Sendoh intercepted the pass.

However, the Ryonan team members were watching closely, making the whole situation extremely tense.

Sweat dripped down his red hair, and Sakuragi's muscle memory suddenly awakened—

2000 sideline breakthrough drills.

Kanon's voice: "When you have nowhere else to go... create a new path!"

Just then, Sakuragi feigned a strong drive to the left, and at the very moment Sendoh's fingertips touched the ball—

"Smack!"

A powerful shot was pulled back, and Sendoh missed!

Sendoh quickly regained his balance and applied pressure on Sakuragi a second time, forcing him back to the sideline. Sakuragi charged to the left again, but Sendoh swiftly moved sideways to block him.

Hanon clenched her fist: "Come on! Just a little bit more!"

Sakuragi suddenly retreated again, but after this step back, he also passed the ball backwards—

"You stinky fox, attack quickly!"

Rukawa receives the ball and charges forward, while Sakuragi stands like a red chariot blocking Sendoh's path—

With a dull thud from the collision of muscles, Sendoh experienced for the first time what "absolute power blockade" meant.

Rukawa Kaede successfully drove to the basket, while Sendoh was slowed down by Sakuragi's close defense.

Rukawa Kaede jumps with the ball!

The impenetrable wall formed by the three from Ryonan crashed down—

Audience: "Oh my god!"

Time seemed to stand still!

Rukawa Kaede's posture was composed; his arm drew a long, narrow arc from bottom to top.

The swaying and sinking passed the first off-road vehicle to jump.

He sidestepped over Fukuda, which had risen to its highest point.

Finally, in the instant when the giant paw of the fish blocked their view—

With a flick of the finger, the basketball gently bounced up...

"Whoosh!"

The ball went into the net smoothly.

This scene was reflected in Hanon's pupils; the boy who used to be a loner was now dominating the arena with an air of complete control.

The moment the scoreboard flashed, the entire audience collectively fell silent.

The flashbulbs of cameras went off like a storm, and countless sports reporters captured this classic moment.

Rukawa turned around, his gaze piercing through the noise to reach Kanon. The world seemed to shrink in that instant, leaving only the two of them. A barely perceptible smile curved his lips.

Sendoh, panting with his knees propped up, suddenly burst out laughing: "Beautiful."

Rukawa, his cheeks puffed out like a steamed bun, said, "After all..."

"My wife is watching."

Sendoh's smile froze instantly: "..."

Shinichi Maki loosened his grip on the railing, his palms sweating profusely: "Shohoku's two stars have truly begun to 'resonate'."

——Xiangbei bench——

Hanon's pen hovered above the data notebook: "Did you understand?"