Chapter 41 So Cute!
Starting lineup for the first quarter: Kogure, Kakuta, Miyagi, Sakuragi, Rukawa.
[Shohoku's captain, Akagi, didn't play!]
This is blatant disrespect to our Martial Arts Academy!
Akagi's absence from the game caused a minor commotion and discussion. Akagi was practically the only well-known member of the Shohoku team.
Captain Takezono raised his arms and shouted, "Let's show Shohoku what the consequences will be for those who underestimate us!"
"yes!"
Coach Anzai took a sip of herbal tea and said, "Hehehe, keep it up, kids."
"yes!"
Despite the doubts from the audience and the provocations from Takeo, the Shohoku team members remained extremely calm.
The national tournament is held every other day. With such a tight and frequent schedule, it is impossible to rely on the main players to play the entire game.
Therefore, starting with this practice match, giving every player a chance to play can help train the players, improve team cohesion, and identify and solve problems.
In their conquest to dominate the nation, Wuyuan was merely an insignificant interlude.
Both sides entered the field with great momentum.
The competition began at 9:00 AM.
Sakuragi jumps for the ball, which is successfully passed to Miyagi. Fast break, the ball is passed to Rukawa.
With a muffled "bang!", Rukawa Kaede scored two points for Shohoku with a powerful dunk.
The game started with a powerful dunk, catching Wuyuan off guard.
It wasn't just Sakuragi's amazing jumping ability, but also their speed! The entire Shohoku team ran at an astonishing speed!
The Wuyuan team put away their disdainful looks and became serious.
They thought they could easily win this game, but they didn't expect the Shohoku team to be so strong this year.
Soon, the effects of Shohoku's extra training became apparent.
With Miyagi's lightning-fast and efficient coordination and orchestration, the team's offensive and defensive transitions were effectively executed.
Inside, Kakuta constantly backed down his opponent in the low post and turned to shoot. Although his technique was still a bit rough and raw in the details, his agile footwork made him unstoppable.
Kogure, a formidable force on the perimeter, capitalized on screens set up by his teammates to sink multiple three-pointers in quick succession.
As for Rukawa Kaede, the devil of offense, as long as the ball is in his hands, he will still adopt the one-on-one mode, constantly scoring points, like bullying the weak, and using his personal strength to fight against the entire Wuyuan.
Even though Shohoku makes roster adjustments from time to time, with the five main players taking turns on the court, they can still defeat the Takezono team, which is among the top eight teams in the prefecture.
The first half ended with Shohoku vs. Takezono, 43-31.
The bench players happily went to greet her. The little red-haired monkey rushed towards Haruko as soon as he left the court.
Kanon handed the towel to Rukawa: "Rukawa, well done!"
Rukawa Kaede walked enthusiastically towards her, his eyes sparkling, and said, "Mmm."
He glanced at the scoreboard, his eyes calm and unwavering.
The second half begins.
[Shohoku's number 11 is so handsome!]
His name is Rukawa Kaede! He's so incredibly handsome!
Ah, Rukawa Kaede—
From the very beginning, Rukawa Kaede was exceptionally active. Many girls from the martial arts school joined Rukawa's fandom.
Sakuragi, filled with jealousy and resentment, yelled, "That damn Rukawa Kaede, he only cares about showing off!"
Sakuragi was actually quite the star. Apart from not making a mistake in the opening jump ball, he was very active on the court, jumping around and making many mistakes and jokes.
It's basically to help highlight Oda's brilliance.
Sakuragi was still distracted, and Oda once again managed to score a swish over Sakuragi's defense.
Oda walked past Sakuragi, smugly asking, "How about it, Sakuragi? What do you think of that shot? Can you do that?"
"whispering sound!"
Sakuragi glared at him, seething with anger.
Like a victorious rooster, Xiaotian strode back to defend.
Possession of the ball went to Shohoku.
Rukawa Kaede had the ball. He easily shook off the opponent's defense, strode into the basket, leaped up, and slammed the ball into the hoop over the head of the defender, Oda.
After spiking, he picked up the ball and tossed it to Xiaotian. In the instant Xiaotian was stunned, he said nonchalantly, "How was that shot? Can you do that?"
Xiaotian clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together.
Sakuragi was stunned. Rukawa had actually witnessed their competition and... kept it in mind.
He was suddenly touched. He never expected that the foxy man who usually didn't get along with him would actually stand up for him!
No matter how touched he was, Sakuragi remained awkward, pouting, "Just now... just now... who asked you to tell me what to do!"
Rukawa Kaede only glanced at him, looking at the face that resembled Hanon's somewhat, before running away.
"Who cares about you?"
The cold, sullen voice faded into the distance.
Sakuragi glanced at Kanon on the sidelines, pouted, and said discontentedly, "Damn Rukawa Kaede! Pfft...!"
Possession of the ball returned to Shohoku, and Sakuragi made another comical mistake, drawing laughter from the audience.
Oda's die-hard fans mercilessly mocked Sakuragi:
[Hahaha... You idiot!]
[Idiot No. 10 in northern Hunan! Shohoku Idiot No. 10! Shohoku Idiot No. 10! 】
Sakuragi's gang was very dissatisfied with that group, but Sakuragi's attitude really angered them.
Takamiya: "Hanamichi, can you please take the competition seriously?"
Da Nan: "That's not a monkey show in a circus!"
Noma: "With this lovable flower arrangement expert around, the competition has become much more interesting."
Yohei: "I can't help it, my rival is Oda, who was my love rival before, so I'm even more excited."
Rukawa Kaede walked past Sakuragi, paused for a moment, and said coldly, "Idiot, if you don't want to fight, get off the court!"
Sakuragi was furious, his anger burning brightly: "Damn it! This genius has just warmed up! Now it's my turn!"
Even before the match, Sakuragi's heart was pounding wildly at the thought of facing Oda.
His mind was filled with the techniques that Kanon had taught him, and he couldn't wait to go on stage and show off his skills.
But once on the field, he realized how crucial his mindset was—don't rush!
He forced himself to calm down, and then calm down again, suppressing his impatience.
Kanon, watching from the sidelines, clearly saw that Sakuragi's arrogance was gradually disappearing, replaced by a feeling of 'pressure'.
Indeed, Sakuragi's performance was quite funny, proving that he is a complete beginner.
However, Sakuragi's basketball skills have improved significantly compared to the original story, and he is incredibly formidable when he gets serious.
…
The ball came into Oda's hands, and he immediately taunted him:
"Come on, Sakuragi! Watch how I humiliate you. Basketball isn't for a delinquent like you!"
Faced with his taunts, Sakuragi suppressed his anger, focused his attention, and blocked his attack.
Seeing that it was still Sakuragi defending against Oda, the die-hard fans thought it was a sure thing and acted as if they were completely at ease.
A few seconds later, a voice came from the audience:
[Huh? It seems Oda can't shake off Sakuragi's watchful eye?]
[Oda has exploded! He's charged into the penalty area!]
Go, Xiaotian! You'll completely crush that number 10!
Just as the die-hard fans were chanting enthusiastically, a red figure suddenly appeared from behind.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a muffled thud was heard on the field.
Silence enveloped the entire audience.
"Well done, Sakuragi!"
Miyagi and Mitsui ran over to cheer and patted Sakuragi on the shoulder.
Sakuragi felt a slight tingling sensation in his right palm, then clenched his fist tightly, feeling an indescribable sense of exhilaration!
Just now, he stopped Oda's attack! If he can stop it once, he can stop it countless times!
The audience was stunned by Sakuragi's powerful block!
Wow... that red-haired kid is so fast...
I can't believe it, I only saw a blur...
[He doesn't seem... that bad, does he?]
Sakuragi glanced smugly at Oda, his eyes seeming to say—see, I stopped you, didn't I?
Oda nearly exploded on the spot, suppressing the urge to punch Sakuragi: "Heh~ You got lucky with that shot!"
He vowed to teach Sakuragi a lesson!
He thought it was just a small accident, but little did he know that it was the beginning.
This block sounded the horn for Sakuragi's counterattack.
Sakuragi shook off Oda's entanglement, rushed into the paint, and snatched the rebound, shouting, "The rebound is mine!!"
Look! It's that red-haired kid again! He's grabbed the rebound once more!
The audience erupted in cheers because of his performance; they were excited and thrilled.
On the bench, Akagi felt relieved: "Sakuragi is finally starting to show his talent for rebounding."
Haruko couldn't help but cover her mouth in excitement:
"Sakuragi is amazing! In just a few minutes, he blocked 3 shots and grabbed 5 rebounds, 2 of which were offensive rebounds!"
Despite his discord with Rukawa, it is precisely because of Sakuragi's presence that Rukawa can act without restraint.
Oda was furious. He suddenly realized that he was a fool, and the delinquents he looked down on were slapping him in the face time and time again.
The score gap widened further.
Thanks to Sakuragi's consistent performance, the ball was safely passed to him.
He dribbled the ball, charged into the restricted area with great momentum, and stared intently at the basket.
Gradually, it was as if he had entered another space, and the sounds around him were no longer relevant to him.
All he could hear was the sound of the basketball hitting the ground, the sound of his breath coming in and out, and the sound of his heart beating.
The key points that Kanon had said kept replaying in my mind.
A resolute glint flashed in his eyes—
Slam Dunk!
I'm going to dunk!
I absolutely have to get it in!
Facing Oda's defense, Sakuragi jumped up without hesitation, gripped the basketball tightly with both hands, and raised it high!
Oda watched helplessly as Sakuragi leaped over him—
boom!
The basketball slammed into the center of the hoop!
With a loud "thud," the basketball bounced back forcefully after being slammed down, making a loud noise.
The entire basketball court was eerily quiet; you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone looked at Sakuragi, staring at him with wide eyes.
Haruko covered her mouth in disbelief. Sakuragi, when did you become so amazing?
[That redhead...jumps over the field and dunks?!]
How high would you have to jump to pull off that dunk? That's incredible jumping ability!
[This is absolutely unbelievable!]
[Ahhh! So handsome!]
It's unclear which girl's scream triggered the entire stadium to erupt in screams and cheers.
"...The Death Knot?!"
This dunk is something that ordinary players can only dream of!
The Shohoku players stared blankly at Sakuragi. That kind of dunk, although it was humiliating, was just too cool!
Coach Anzai couldn't help but stand up; he was also shocked by that deadly dunk!
A dark glint flashed in the lens; the two siblings, Hanayone and her brother, were truly extraordinary.
Rukawa Kaede's face remained expressionless.
Amidst cheers and the crowd, he could only see the girl on the sidelines laughing freely, her eyes filled with intense emotion.
He vaguely counted his heartbeats, one, two, faster than usual. An indescribable pleasure exploded from his nerve endings.
So this is what special training counterattack looks like.
All right.
She's so incredibly cute!
The rim was still wobbling. Sakuragi looked down at Oda with a rare seriousness: "Oda, I'm not just someone who solves problems with brute force. On the court, I can completely dominate you!"
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