Chapter 74 Fancy Slam Dunk
The stadium was packed with people, with every seat filled.
Hainan! Always victorious! Hainan! Always victorious!
The cheers were so loud and clear that they seemed to reach a tidal wave.
Compared to the well-trained Hainan cheerleading team, Shohoku's cheerleading team has a unique charm—
[Go, Huahua Jiang!]
—A shout from the glass bead plastic bottle of Sakuragi's army
[You're the best, India!]
—A fierce banner from the man of fire
[LOVE Rukawa Kaede! LOVE Rukawa Kaede!]
—A pink thigh dance from Rukawa Mikoto.
Miura Dai's lips twitched: "We lost to such an unreliable team, it's so frustrating!"
The Shohoku team was a bit worried: "Does the Shohoku team really have no one left? Where did they get the cheerleaders from?"
The Ryonan team couldn't help but rub their foreheads: "What the hell is Shohoku's cheerleading squad? They're absolutely awful."
Hanon spotted a familiar figure in the stands—the owner of the sports equipment store.
He nodded politely to Huayin.
Rukawa Kaede stood in front of Kanon and asked, "Do you know her?"
Hua Yin looked away and replied, "The owner of the sports equipment store we bought from before, we had an agreement with him, remember?"
Rukawa Kaede nodded. He didn't remember what the person looked like, but the words "we and him" clearly indicated their closeness or distance.
Just like in the original story, after the two teams entered the field, Kiyota walked confidently to the halfway point and made some outrageous remarks, which drew sighs from the audience.
Kiyota dribbled skillfully, swiftly driving to the basket, leaping up to complete a simple yet sharp dunk, drawing gasps of amazement.
Wow, no wonder he's so confident!
Although he doesn't look 1.8 meters tall, his jumping ability is simply incredible!
[Hainan is indeed full of hidden talents; even a first-grader is so capable!]
The audience was stunned and applauded Kiyota, greatly satisfying Kiyota's vanity.
Sakuragi was furious to see everyone praising Kiyota so enthusiastically.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He told himself, "This genius is a mature man. I can't be provoked so easily!"
The Sakuragi gang, however, kept fanning the flames:
"Hanamichi, go and teach that arrogant wild monkey a lesson!"
"Hot-blooded kid! Go for it!"
Kanon chuckled inwardly, immediately noticing Sakuragi's eagerness.
This single-celled organism must be itching inside, like it's being scratched by a cat's claws, and its desire to perform is off the charts.
She patted Sakuragi's shoulder lightly, "Hana-chan, go and meet Hainan No. 10."
"Huh?"
The Shohoku team was surprised; Kanon wasn't usually a high-profile or flamboyant person!
Upon receiving the order, Sakuragi's excitement surged instantly, and all the muscles in his body were filled with power.
Hanon sat down on the bench and calmly explained, "Please enjoy the pre-match relaxation program—the monkey show."
The Shohoku team: ...That's good, we're not nervous anymore.
The pet fox's daily update: "I'm going to warm up."
Hua Yin tugged at his sleeve, pointing her chin at Qing Tian, "Feng Feng is going too."
Rukawa looked at her and asked, "Want to see?"
Hanon smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners, and said, "Yes, I want to see!"
Rukawa Kaede's face was expressionless, but his voice held a hint of doting affection: "I understand."
Sakuragi walked onto the court, heading straight for Kiyota, his potato-shaped face gleaming menacingly: "You wild monkey, this genius will show you what a real dunk is!"
Kiyota didn't react in time.
Sakuragi quickly steals the ball, pivoting on his left foot while his right foot slides nimbly back and forth.
His entire body changed direction in rhythm with his steps. Gathering momentum, he leaped in an instant, flying towards the basket with astonishing speed—
"Bang!"
The sound echoed throughout the entire stadium.
The entire room fell silent instantly.
Shohoku, Ryonan, and even Hainan were stunned.
This is... a gliding hook!
This skill requires not only excellent jumping ability, but also precise timing and perfect body control.
After a while, the audience all slowly came to their senses, and a burst of applause erupted, with some even shouting at the top of their lungs:
[Red-haired dunker! One more!]
[Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic!]
Sakuragi Hanamichi, you're so cool!
This time, Sakuragi really took the heat! His face flushed, he scratched the back of his head and grinned—
Indeed, those dunks that smash through the rim are the coolest!
Sakuragi's dazzling fancy dunk completely overshadowed Kiyota's conventional dunk, making it a crushing victory!
Kiyota glanced at the other person sideways, muttering, "Hmph, this level of skill is nothing to be surprised about, what a fuss..."
He grabbed the basketball again and threw it forcefully towards Shohoku's half of the court. Then, like an arrow released from a bow, he launched himself forward at high speed towards Shohoku's half of the court.
The basketball traced a high arc.
Kiyota's eyes were piercing, fixed intently on the basketball in front of him.
Suddenly, a fiery red figure appeared, leaping into the air with astonishing height, and slammed its large hand down on the basketball—
Bang!
A one-handed alley-oop dunk!
Rukawa Kaede landed lightly, his dark hair fluttering in the wind. His expression was calm and expressionless, but he seemed to be surrounded by a certain aura that was very captivating.
He said coldly, "Well said."
These three words were like a sharp knife, piercing Kiyota's heart.
[That's an alley-oop! You can count on one hand the number of high school students who can do that!]
[OMG, he not only did it, but he did it so coolly! So awesome!]
[Well done, No. 11 from Shohoku!]
【Aaaaaaaah, Rukawa Kaede!】
The audience was completely ignited with enthusiasm, and the girls screamed and jumped up and down wildly.
The noise at the scene had nothing to do with Rukawa Kaede; he stared expressionlessly at the bench.
Hanon smiled from the sidelines, covering her mouth with her hands, silently saying, "So handsome!"
A hint of a smile flashed in the fox's indifferent eyes.
Yan Yi: "Huh? Rukawa Kaede is this flashy too? This doesn't seem like his personality!"
Uozumi: "Shohoku is full of conspicuous bags."
Fujima asked Sendo, "Who do you think will win today?"
Sendoh laughed: "The king of Kanagawa should change hands."
Both teams took their positions.
"Beep!"
In the center of the field, the referee blew a sharp whistle and tossed the ball into the air.
Akagi truly lives up to his reputation as Kanagawa's best center; without a doubt, Shohoku launched a fierce attack first!
Miyagi received the ball, and Maki appeared right in front of him in a flash. While Miyagi was surprised, he made a brilliant pass to Rukawa.
Wow, so fast!
The audience didn't want to blink.
Rukawa Kaede dribbled with lightning speed, rushing straight to the basket. Just as he leaped into the air, about to shoot—
Amu followed closely, leaping up as well and stretching out his huge hand to slam down on the basketball.
【hiss--】
The audience gasped immediately!
Shohoku's offensive was as fierce as a tidal wave, while Hainan also demonstrated their speed and strength!
Kiyota thought smugly, "Maki will definitely make Rukawa a big hot pot!"
A cold glint flashed in Rukawa's eyes. He retrieved the ball in mid-air, his body swaying like a pendulum as he deftly evaded Maki's block, before passing the ball from behind—
Oh my god!
Wow! That pass was absolutely incredible!
Before Mitsui could catch the ball, Ajin rushed in at an angle, his speed so fast that Mitsui didn't have time to react.
Wow! The ball is back in Hainan's hands!
A-Shen throws a high pass to Kiyota.
"My ball!"
Sakuragi roared, his movements as agile as a black panther, quickly following the basketball, leaping up and intercepting A-Shen's pass!
Sakuragi jumped so high, the ball is back with Shohoku!
[The game was so dazzling from the very beginning, I could barely keep my eyes open!]
Kiyota scratched his head: "Damn it, that red-haired monkey!!"
Sakuragi shouted, "—Ryo!"
The ball quickly passed through the two players and was caught steadily by Miyagi.
Under Maki's tight defense, Miyagi gave Rukawa a look—
Then, like throwing a cannonball, he slammed the ball towards the basket with force—
Rukawa Kaede quickly shook off the defender and, as agile as lightning, pounced on the basket.
A muffled "bang!" was heard.
Rukawa Kaede once again delivered an alley-oop, one-handed dunk.
The timing and force were just right.
Shohoku vs. Hainan, 2:0
[Ahhh! So handsome!]
A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the stadium, igniting the crowd's passion.
The Hainan players stared blankly at the basket, unable to utter a word for a long time.
If a lob pass during warm-up is a greeting, then starting the game with an alley-oop dunk is undoubtedly a straightforward and blatant provocation!
Shohoku High School is just too arrogant!
Miyagi excitedly rushed up to Rukawa and gave him a high five in celebration: "That was awesome, Rukawa! Well done!"
Rukawa Kaede, still expressionless, said, "Well said, senior."
During the transition from offense to defense, Amu controlled the ball and calmly made his way forward.
Maki dribbled the ball past Miyagi and charged towards the inside.
Akagi stood near the penalty area. When he saw Maki charging in, he bent over, spread his arms, and immediately assumed a defensive stance.
Without any fancy moves, Maki turned halfway around, used his shoulder to block Akagi's defense, and then easily tossed the ball into the air.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc and went in off the backboard!
Shohoku vs. Hainan, 2:2
Just as Miyagi received the ball near the baseline, Maki suddenly appeared in front of him and slapped the basketball out of Miyagi's hands.
The basketball fell into Amu's hands.
"Back up!!"
Just as Amu was dribbling towards the basket, he suddenly heard a gust of wind beside his ear—
When I pressed down with my palm, the basketball didn't bounce back into my hand as usual!
Amu instinctively turned around—
Rukawa Kaede appeared behind him without him noticing, intercepting the ball from behind in a series of silent movements that didn't attract Maki's attention at all.
Amu looked surprised and quickly returned to defense!
"Rukawa Kaede!"
Kiyota shouted and quickly gave chase.
What? !
The sudden appearance of the figure startled the Hainan substitutes on the sidelines. Rukawa Kaede's solo fast break once again left a deep impression on everyone.
Rukawa Kaede charged straight up the court with the basketball.
"Stop him! Go stop him!"
Facing Kiyota and Muto rushing towards him, Rukawa Kaede passed the ball to Mitsui on the outside without hesitation.
Mitsui jumped, and Ajin, who was defending him, followed closely behind. Mitsui cleverly retrieved the ball, drove into the basket, and made a jump shot, but unexpectedly, Maki, who quickly returned to defend, slapped the ball onto the backboard.
"--rebound!"
"Leave it to this genius!"
Sakuragi jumped high to grab the rebound, and as he landed, he passed the ball to Akagi.
Akagi leaps high into the air, holding the ball in both hands!
Like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger, Kiyota, undeterred by Akagi's imposing stature, leaped up, intending to cover the hot pot: "You underestimate me!"
"Bang!"
The basketball hoop made a loud noise!
At the same time, Kiyota was knocked to the ground.
The gorilla looked down at Kiyota on the ground through its nostrils: "Kid! You're still too green!"
Hainan's ball possession.
On the offensive end, the Hainan team continued to focus on Amu.
Takasago sets a high screen, and Maki uses his skills to shake off Miyagi's defense. He then turns around and easily gets rid of Sakuragi's help defense, before fearlessly charging straight into the paint to challenge Akagi's territory.
On the other hand, Shohoku took advantage of their inside game and focused their offense on Akagi, who overpowered Takasago and scored three consecutive points with strong attacks.
With Sakuragi and Akagi on the court, Hainan's inside game was basically completely overwhelmed.
The score remained close.
Coach Takato ran his fingertips along his chin, secretly calculating in his mind: Sakuragi and Akagi, they have to be next.
Sakuragi is impulsive and has an overly strong desire to perform; this kind of rookie is undoubtedly the easiest to deal with.
Coach Gao Tou snapped his fan shut and said calmly, "Miyabushi, get ready to go on stage."
"Hainan changes its personnel—"
A look of surprise flashed across everyone's faces, and they whispered among themselves, "What kind of tactic is Hainan using? Why did they substitute Ah Shen?"
Kanon and Sakuragi locked eyes and exchanged a knowing smile—the opportunity had arrived.
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