Chapter 50 Battle of Xiangyang

Hanon lowered her eyes. Her words received no response. Instead, Ayako spoke up, and he reacted quite quickly.

At first, Kanon wasn't sure, but after a series of events, even the slow-witted Kanon realized that Rukawa was... having a tiff with her?

Why?

Hanon remained silent for a while, and Rukawa couldn't help but glance at her out of the corner of his eye.

I felt slightly anxious.

He knew this was wrong.

But he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation, hoping that Kanon would take the initiative to approach him, care about him, and like him.

Who is that red-haired, bald guy from Shohoku?

I don't know, I don't think I've seen him appear before...

There was a lot of discussion in the audience.

Sakuragi pricked up his ears and finally heard the audience talking about him. He turned around, put his hands on his hips, and said smugly:

"If you don't recognize me, I can tell you now, haha... My name is the nation's number one rebounder, that's just a nickname! My real name is—Sakuragi Hanamichi!!!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi? He looks like a complete idiot...

[What a blunder!]

[The Red-Haired Stinky Fart King!]

Hearing the negative comments, Haruko glared angrily at the audience, then shouted, "Sakuragi! Go for it!"

Sakuragi doesn't care what others say about him; haters are fans too!

He felt a sweet warmth from protecting Haruko, "Haruko! Don't worry, this genius has it all covered!"

Hana waved and smiled brightly: "Hana-chan—"

Sakuragi ran to Kanon's side and squatted down a little.

Hanon touched her red head and said, "Sakuragi Hanamichi, the nation's number one rebounder, has silenced all the ignorant people with his performance today!"

Sakuragi's talent was gradually revealed, and the effect was even more amazing.

Sakuragi understood the key point in Kanon's words and firmly stated, "This genius knows exactly what to do! ...Hey, you stinky fox, what are you doing?!"

Rukawa Kaede squeezed between the two and said coldly, "Get out of the way, you're blocking my way."

Hana's eyelashes curved: "Rukawa, good luck in the game."

Rukawa Kaede's expression relaxed slightly, but he didn't respond to her.

My mind is filled with a million questions.

He barely glanced at himself.

Hana was bewildered, not understanding why Rukawa suddenly seemed to ignore her.

On the bench, Akagi and Mitsui sat stiffly, and the atmosphere was visibly serious and tense.

Recalling the stiff four-man team in the previous game, Sakuragi said with full vigor, "Gorilla, San, Ryo, with this genius here, you don't need to be nervous!"

Akagi and the others immediately became furious and embarrassed. "Who's nervous! Don't lump me in with an idiot like you!"

Sakuragi cheekily moved closer to him:

"Hahaha... Gorilla, your dark circles are really heavy. Looks like we can only rely on this genius this time! The genius will definitely lead Shohoku to victory!"

Akagi was so angry he was practically fuming, so he violently rewarded him with a steamed bun-shaped energy pack.

"Wow, gorilla! Why are you so violent? You hit me again!"

Sakuragi covered his head and protested.

Seeing the monkey's frustrated expression, Akagi breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that beating up the monkey was a good way to relieve stress.

Sakuragi got beaten up, and Mitsui felt a sense of satisfaction. "That kid has no respect for his seniors at all, serves him right!"

Ayako looked at Miyagi encouragingly, "Ryota, before Fujima came on, you were the first defender."

Miyagi blushed, raised his eyebrows, and said confidently, "Don't worry, Aya! Even if he plays, I will still be number one in Kanagawa."

Ayako patted him on the shoulder, "Yes, you are number one in Kanagawa!"

Hikoichi: "Sakuragi! Go for it!!"

Sakuragi turned to look at the audience and raised his voice excitedly, "Thank you, Hikoichi! Hahaha! I didn't even consider Shohoku a threat! Sendoh—I'll beat you!"

Sendoh's affectionate eyes were filled with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the members of Xiangyang angrily opened fire on him:

"That red-haired brat is so arrogant!"

"A first-year newbie!"

"Shohoku, I'll show you what Shoyo is all about in a minute!"

"What kind of weird people are in Shohoku...they look so scary!!"

The Shohoku team members were all sweating profusely, and the game had already aroused public outrage before it even started.

A vein throbbed on Akagi's forehead. "Can you shut up, you idiot?"

Miyagi was embarrassed. "Please, Ikemichi, don't make us lose face with you."

Shohoku's starting lineup: Mitsui, Kakuta, Miyagi, Sakuragi, Rukawa.

Shoyo's starting lineup: Hanagata, Ito, Takano, Hasegawa, Nagano.

As for why Akagi wasn't in the starting lineup, Kanon noticed his poor form and gave the following reason—

The captain of Xiangyang did not play, and our captain will also not play for the time being.

Kanon looked at the group, her eyes flashing with a sharp edge: "In the first quarter, we must get Fujima on the court. If anyone isn't playing seriously, I'll immediately substitute them."

The starting five players trembled, "Yes!"

As the audience eagerly awaited, the whistle finally blew to start the match.

At the start of the game, Sakuragi jumped high, slapped the ball, and it landed steadily in Miyagi's hands.

Miyagi received the ball and used a very quick change of direction to quickly get past Ito, who was defending him.

Ito's face immediately fell, and he quickly followed.

Seizing the opportune moment, Miyagi made a brilliant pass, and the ball reached Rukawa's hands.

Rukawa Kaede quickly dribbled the ball into the paint—

He turned around and got past the two Xiangyang players who were guarding him—

Another fake move, a crossover dribble past two Shohoku inside players—

Jump!

One-handed dunk!

"boom!"

Shohoku took the lead in points.

Instantly, cheers and applause resounded throughout the stadium.

[Shohoku's number 11 gets past 4! So strong!]

Wow! They started off so strong? Shohoku's performance is unexpectedly good!

[Ah!!! Rukawa Kaede! I love you! Rukawa Kaede! I love you!]

The Shohoku team was astonished; Shohoku's speed was incredible!

Hanagata looked at Sakuragi, his brows furrowing slightly. This kid jumped way too high!

Hanagata exchanged a glance with Fujima on the bench, but didn't take it to heart, confidently encouraging his teammates:

"It's okay, we'll get that ball back right away!"

Shohoku launches an attack.

Nagano picked up the ball and walked to the baseline to serve. As soon as Ito got the ball, Miyagi quickly blocked his way.

Ito glanced disdainfully at the top of Nagata's head, ignored Miyagi's defense, raised the ball high, and easily passed it to Hanagata.

[Shohoku's number 7 is too short; he can't even reach the ball. How are they supposed to defend him?]

[Shoyo's height advantage allows him to pass the ball with ease!]

Facing the doubts from the audience, Ayako clapped her fan and shouted, "Ryota! Go for it!!!"

Hanagata quickly drove into the paint with the ball and jumped. Kakuta reacted quickly and jumped up right after him.

Suddenly, Kakuta opened his eyes.

Hanagata's slender body slowly leaned back, and with a gentle flick of his wrist, he executed a beautiful fadeaway jump shot—Hanagata's signature move.

He smiled, brimming with confidence.

Suddenly, a red figure appeared to the side of the flower!

"Smack!"

The ball was smashed away!

Flower-shaped pupils causing an earthquake?! How is that possible...?!

Everyone present was stunned by Sakuragi's block!

Fujima suddenly stood up, his face full of disbelief.

[Hikoichi shouts excitedly: It's Sakuragi!]

[Uozumi was dumbfounded: Hanagata's unstoppable fadeaway jump shot was blocked by Sakuragi?!]

[Sendoh: Sakuragi is starting to look more and more like a real basketball player.]

Coach Taoka stared sharply at Sakuragi.

Wow! That redhead is amazing!

[His reaction! His speed! And, and the height of his jump!]

The atmosphere was lively, and the audience was extremely excited.

The Shohoku bench erupted in cheers, "That's awesome, Sakuragi!"

Sakuragi laughed heartily, hands on his hips, "Hahaha! The Gorilla's true skill! Covering the hotpot!"

Ayako and Haruko excitedly shook Kanon, exclaiming, "Sakuragi is amazing!"

Hanon was shaken until she felt dizzy.

Is there a way to counter Hanagata's signature fadeaway jump shot? Yes, there is, but it mainly depends on the defender's ability and timing.

It's obvious that Sakuragi has a natural defensive advantage.

Miyagi picked up the ball and quickly launched a fast break—

"Smack!"

Mitsui took the basketball and, without pausing, ran straight to Shohoku's half of the court. Taking advantage of the defender's distraction, he jumped from beyond the three-point line, flipped his wrist, and released the ball.

The basketball traced a beautiful arc and, as everyone watched, fell into the basket.

Shohoku scores another three points!

The audience erupted in applause and cheers.

Xiangyang is on hold.

Fujima slowly stood up, looking around at his teammates who had been caught off guard by Shohoku's fast break, his smile elegant and clear.

"Cheer up! Let's show everyone Shohoku's true strength!"

His calm and composed eyes looked directly at each player, and his indomitable fighting spirit deeply inspired them.

"Fujima!"

They instinctively straightened their backs, their scattered fighting spirit instantly coalescing. They looked up at the stands, where all the county's top teams were present... They absolutely could not lose!

Hanagata clenched her fist: "Looks like we were too gentle!"

Hasegawa: "We absolutely cannot let this slide."

These words ignited a fierce fire within the Xiangbei team.

Akagi's forehead veins throbbed repeatedly. "What are these guys talking about?!"

Mitsui raised his middle finger. "Heh, that's incredibly arrogant!"

Sakuragi, with a sinister potato-like face, said, "These guys haven't yet experienced how terrifying this genius is!"

Rukawa Kaede gave the Shohoku team members a cold look.

Haruko: "Wow! Everyone's suddenly acting all aggressive!"

Ayako shouted, "In that case, we don't need to be polite!"

Coach Anzai uttered a motivational phrase, "Oh ho ho ho... You guys are the strongest..."

The Shohoku team, brimming with confidence, declared, "We are the strongest!"

Possession of the ball went to Xiangyang.

Hanagata stood calmly at his feet. "Everyone, stay steady! Let's score the first goal!"

Hasegawa, who is usually a fringe player on offense, suddenly started moving, shaking off Mitsui and cutting inside. He arrived at the right time and hit a mid-range shot for 2 points.

Hasegawa glanced at Mitsui with disdain.

Mitsui is grinding his teeth, that kid…

Miyagi dribbled into the penalty area and encountered a double-team defense from Hanagata. He suddenly took two steps back and, before the two could react, lightly jumped—

On the defensive end, the two players spread their arms and jumped. In mid-air, Miyagi gracefully turned his wrist to the side and passed the ball out.

Mitsui, outside the three-point line, received the ball. With no one guarding him, he even had time to adjust his posture, stretch his arm, and forcefully shoot the ball.

"Swish!" The ball pierced the net cleanly and neatly.

Shohoku's bench: "Yes! It's in!"

Ayako: "Good job spreading the word about Ryota!"

The man of fire waved his flag excitedly and shouted, "Ah San, Ah San, you're the strongest!"

Mitsui was furious and embarrassed: "Shut up!"

Then he looked smugly at Hasegawa, and said, "Hmph~ You get two points, I'll give you three back!"

Possession returned to Shohoku, and the ball was passed back and forth among the tall players before finally reaching the main attacker, Hanagata.

Hanagata faked a shot, luring Kakuta into a defensive move. He then withdrew his shooting hand, crouched down, took a step to dodge, and made a jump shot, scoring two points for Shohoku.

"Quick attack!"

Miyagi made a long pass, which landed in the hands of Sakuragi, who was running quickly in the frontcourt.

Sakuragi was all alone in front of him. He jumped up quickly and slammed the ball down with one hand!

"boom!"

The sound was deafening.

The audience was completely stunned by Shohoku's performance—their fast break speed was comparable to that of the Shinkansen bullet train!

When a Shohoku player passed the ball, Miyagi stood in front of him and kept applying pressure. After interfering for a while, the player threw the ball high into the air.

Before Hanagata could catch it, the ball was intercepted by Rukawa.

The unexpected turn of events caused Hanagata's expression to change. How could all these first-year students from Shohoku jump so high?!

Before he could think further, Rukawa Kaede had already dribbled past the midfield and was heading straight for the inside.

Hanagata turned to defend, chasing with all his might, and finally blocked Rukawa's layup attempt.

Rukawa suddenly accelerated to the right, and Hanagata immediately came to defend—

At that moment, Rukawa pulled back, followed by another accelerated breakthrough to the right.

This time, however, Hanagata failed to provide timely defensive cover and stood frozen in place, allowing Rukawa to break through and score a layup.

Hanagata's eyes were filled with fire, his fighting spirit burning brightly. Shohoku is a strong team, and naturally they have their own pride!