Chapter 114 The school bell rings
Mingpeng attacks.
Morishige Hiroshi sank into the penalty area like a giant beast, but this time, he didn't choose a head-on back-to-the-basket attack; instead, he suddenly started moving—
With agile movement, sudden stops, and using teammates' screens, he suddenly cuts into the paint!
Meihou's point guard reacted quickly, delivering a deft high lob pass that bypassed Shohoku's defense and flew precisely over Morishige Hiroshi's head!
Oh no! Akagi's heart tightened, but it was too late to defend himself.
"boom!"
The floor trembled, and Morishige Hiroshi leaped into the air like a volcanic eruption, holding the ball with both hands and slamming it hard into the basket!
He's going to dunk over the entire Shohoku team on this play!!!
However--
"Dream on!!"
Two steel-like bodies meet in mid-air!
Morishige Hiroshi's arms bulged with veins as he pressed down with all his might!
Sakuragi held the basketball firmly with both hands, refusing to give an inch!
—A head-on clash! Strength against strength!
"Drink up—!!" Sakuragi's eyes bulged and his tendons bulged as he forcefully blocked Morishige Hiroshi's dunk in mid-air!
"What...!?" Morishige Hiroshi's pupils constricted sharply. The force of the impact from his palm made his fingers go numb, and his knuckles cracked—
This was the first time in his life that someone had caught his powerful dunk head-on!
"Get down here!!" Sakuragi roared, his arms suddenly exerting force—
"boom!!"
Morishige Hiroshi was slammed to the ground by this tremendous force, his sneakers sparking bright sparks as they rubbed against the floor!
The basketball was slapped hard and crashed onto the floor!
Morishige Hiroshi's dunks were completely shut down!
The entire hall fell silent for a moment, then—
"Whoa!!"
A deafening roar swept through the entire stadium!
The entire bench of Mingpeng Industrial stood frozen, and the coach's tactical board fell to the ground with a "thud".
Akagi's eyes widened: "He actually... blocked it head-on?"
Rukawa Kaede's lips curled up almost imperceptibly: "Idiot..."
Sakuragi landed steadily, pounding his fist into his chest, and grinned at Morishige Hiroshi, who was still in shock.
"Big guy! Your dunk—"
"It's still a long way off!!"
The entire stadium erupted! Shohoku's morale soared!
The basketball rolled out of bounds, and the referee blew his whistle.
"Shohoku has possession!"
Sakuragi swaggered towards Rukawa, deliberately shouting in a voice loud enough for the entire arena to hear:
"Oh dear~ Did someone just get knocked two meters away by that gorilla number two?"
He gestured exaggeratedly, "Like this—whoosh! thud!"
Rukawa Kaede wiped his sweat with a cold face, not even bothering to look at him.
"However~" Sakuragi said, hands on his hips, "considering how weak you are, this genius will reluctantly help you get revenge!"
Rukawa Kaede paused almost imperceptibly.
“…Idiot.” He scoffed, but as he turned away, he added almost inaudibly, “…Good defense.”
Sakuragi instantly bristled, his face turning bright red: "Who wants your praise, you stinky fox!"
Watching the awkward pair of brothers from the sidelines, Hanon couldn't help but chuckle softly, rubbing his forehead.
She saw it clearly—
When Sakuragi jumped to block the shot, he aimed at the spot where Rukawa had been knocked away earlier.
Sakuragi wanted to say another few words to Rukawa, but suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck.
They both turned their heads at the same time—
Hanon stood on the sidelines with her arms crossed, her smile vanished without a trace.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, pointed her index finger at them in a warning gesture, and silently mouthed:
[Let's try again, make a scene, and see?]
Sakuragi and Rukawa froze instantly.
Sakuragi was sweating profusely: "Heh, heh heh..."
Rukawa silently turned his face away: "..."
Kanon turned to Miyagi and gestured with her right hand.
Miyagi raised an eyebrow and gave her an OK sign.
Mitsui rested his chin on two fingers: "Playing tactics?"
Rukawa Kaede suddenly spoke up: "I can leave the outside open to assist the inside players."
Akagi opened his eyes wide—
This lone wolf ace actually volunteered to help defend!
Akagi patted Rukawa heavily on the shoulder: "Just fight like this!"
[Sendoh suddenly sat up straight, a playful smile curving his lips: Oh? Shohoku has a new move.]
[Yan Yi frantically flips through his notebook: Really? I need to write this down!]
Back to the game.
The moment Morishige Hiroshi received the ball in the low post, Shohoku's defensive formation suddenly contracted!
"Swarm activation!" Miyagi shouted sharply, making a three-finger gesture with his right hand behind his back.
Sakuragi blocked Morishige's lower body, Rukawa abandoned his defender and rushed into the penalty area, while Akagi blocked the passing lanes like an iron gate.
A three-man encirclement was formed instantly!
Morishige Hiroshi's pupils contracted sharply, and for the first time, his nearly 2-meter-tall frame felt suffocated in the restricted area.
He forced himself to turn around, only to see Rukawa Kaede's arm reaching out—
"Oh no—"
Snap!
Miyagi darted out like a ghost, stealing the ball with lightning speed!
[Uozumi was surprised: a three-man defensive formation?]
[Sendoh's potato chips hover in mid-air: No... this is a 'strangulation cage' specially designed for giant beasts!]
[The tactics board in Coach Mingpeng's hand snapped in two with a "crack": Ah Kuan was actually marked out of control?!]
[Shinichi Maki said in a deep voice: Shohoku has brought NBA-level double-team tactics to the high school court.]
[Kiyota, clutching his hair: That lone wolf Rukawa is actually content to be a blue-collar worker?!]
Morishige Hiroshi's veins bulged as he slammed his back into Sakuragi!
"Boom!" The muffled sound of muscles colliding made the audience in the front row cover their ears.
"Ugh...!" Sakuragi was knocked back half a step, but a wild smile crept onto his lips: "Is that all the strength you've got?"
He lowered his center of gravity and used a sumo wrestling stance to withstand the impact, leaving two white marks on the floor with his feet!
Rukawa seized that 0.5-second opening and slashed down with his long arm—
"Smack!"
The basketball flew out, Mitsui rushed out to steal it, turned around and shouted: "Fast break—!"
Morishige Hiroshi clenched his fists so tightly they cracked: "Next time... I'm definitely going to score!"
Once again, Shohoku's "swarm tactics" completely surrounded him.
Sakuragi's defense was like an impenetrable wall, Rukawa's steals were as fast as a ghost, and Akagi's blocking was impenetrable.
"Bang!"
The basketball was swatted away again.
Morishige Hiroshi slowly straightened up, beads of sweat dripping down his chin and splashing onto the floor.
"Damn it... Next time... I'm definitely going to score!"
[Yan Yi's eyes widened, his pen scribbling furiously: Five consecutive attacks blocked, and he hasn't broken down?! This isn't a matter of technique, it's pure willpower!]
[Sendoh Akira rested his chin on his hand, his smile deepening: Interesting, truly interesting… This is the kind of opponent worth going all out against.]
With less than five minutes left in the first half, Meihou's coach anxiously called a timeout, but Morishige Hiroshi shook his head.
"Old man, let me try one more time!"
His eyes were pure—
There was no scheming, no retreat, only the most primal fighting spirit.
Beep—
The first half has ended.
48:36.
Morishige Hiroshi bent over, panting heavily, and stared at the scoreboard, reading aloud, "Still... 12 points..."
The third quarter begins.
Morishige Hiroshi was positioning himself in the paint, but Sakuragi blocked him tightly, grinning and saying, "Hey, big guy, aren't you going to give up?"
Morishige Hiroshi did not give up, and so did Meihou Industrial.
Never giving up and always being full of fighting spirit are the most precious things about this first-year genius.
Morishige took a deep breath, recalling the coach's instructions during halftime:
"Ah-Kuan, try counting to three..."
"One, two..." he muttered to himself, and just before the double team closed in, he suddenly passed the ball to his open teammate on the outside!
"Throw!" His gruff voice sent a shiver down his spine.
Whoosh!
Three point hit!
48:39
The Mingpeng substitutes' bench erupted in cheers: "Ah Kuan!!"
Sakuragi was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Ha! You blockhead, you've finally figured it out?"
Morishige Hiroshi scratched his head and smiled sheepishly: "Because... I want to win."
—It's not about brute force, it's about teamwork!
[Ayako is surprised: They've actually learned how to break double teams and pass the ball?]
[Hana smiled: A-Kuan has grown up.]
Shobei counterattack
Facing Morishige Hiroshi's help defense, Rukawa bounced a pass to Akagi, who was cutting in. The basketball pierced Morishige Hiroshi's legs, and Akagi slammed it home!
57:46
[Shohoku bench: Great pass! Rukawa!]
In the next round, after attracting a double-team, Morishige Hiroshi delivered a no-look pass to assist the bottom corner shooter!
64:54
[Hana-on shakes her head with a smile: Are these two competing to see who can pass the ball better?]
Akagi landed a signature gorilla dunk, only to find Morishige Hiroshi's eyes glowing—
That pure, almost terrifying, desire to learn.
"This position...this movement..."
Morishige muttered to himself, and the way he lowered his shoulders and exerted force the moment he caught the ball was exactly the same as Akagi's.
Bang!
The basketball hoop shook violently with perfect precision, even the referee couldn't help but take a second look.
Sakuragi pointed at the two of them and gestured back and forth: "Hey! Is this some kind of chimpanzee virus infection?!"
Akagi's forehead veins bulged: "..."
Morishige looked at his hands, his eyes shining.
When Shohoku's "swarm tactics" came down again, Morishige Hiroshi took a horse stance.
Its nearly 2-meter-tall body, like an open city gate, completely blocked the palace from the tactical route.
"Left!"
The thunderous warning startled Meihou's small forward, almost causing him to travel. But his body reacted faster than his brain, successfully cutting off Miyagi's attack route.
[Coach Taoka suddenly stood up: This is... zone defense awareness?!]
Sakuragi's red head was practically steaming.
He caught the ball and immediately took off, shooting towards the basket like a rocket—
Bang!
The first block sent the ball towards the Hainan team's seats, and Kiyota Nobunaga instinctively crouched down to defend, covering his head.
[...Red-haired monkey! Are you trying to murder me?]
Three seconds later, Sakuragi returned with a modified feint. He deliberately delayed his jump, a confident smile playing on his lips...
But then he saw Morishige Hiroshi reveal a simple and honest smile, taking off into the air at a pace half a beat slower than him.
Boom!!!
Second block —
The basketball was embedded directly into the stands, fitting perfectly between Uozumi's legs.
[Uozumi pulls out the basketball with a blank expression: "Is this how young people these days... greet each other?"]
When Sakuragi lunged at Morishige for the sixth time, he had completely transformed into an out-of-control red-haired monkey. He clung to Morishige's back like a koala, his legs wrapped around Morishige's waist.
Beep—!
The bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class.
Referee: "Red number 10! Get off the field!"
"Whoosh—"
The audience erupted in gasps.
"Wait!" Sakuragi clung to Morishige Hiroshi's back, refusing to get down. "This is a genius-made 'super defense'!"
Rukawa, with a cold expression: "Idiot."
Ayako's shoulders trembled as she tried to suppress her laughter: "Coaches, is this part of the planned...teaching session?"
Kanon covered her face with her tactical board: "What's coming will come..."
A glint flashed in the chubby coach's glasses: "Oh ho ho... growing pains, huh..."
Morishige Hiroshi picked the cherry blossom and put it on the ground. "Hehe, you're pretty good."
Sakuragi bristled: "Who wants your praise, you Gorilla Number Two!"
As Sakuragi walked reluctantly toward the bench, Morishige Hiroshi's eyes shone with an alarming intensity.
He patted the point guard on the back.
"Give it to me!" The short words shot out like bullets.
The next five minutes are the time for Mingpeng Wild Beast:
Morishige Hiroshi drove into the paint like a bulldozer, scoring 6 points in a row with the "Gorilla Dunk" personally taught by Akagi.
During one offensive play, he simultaneously shoved aside Akagi and Rukawa, shattering the rebound.
He used his back to form a human wall for his teammates, assisting the three-point shooter to make his first long-range shot of the game.
The scoreboard was jumping wildly:
72:68
72:76
74:78
Shohoku bench.
Sakuragi paced back and forth like a trapped animal, his red hair bristling: "Damn it! If only I, the genius, were still on the court..."
Suddenly, a pair of hands cupped his burning cheeks.
"Look at me, Hanamichi." Kanon's voice was like a lighthouse piercing through a storm, firm and bright. "Do you remember what you said?"
Sakuragi's agitated breathing suddenly stopped.
At four in the morning, on the empty basketball court, Sakuragi tossed the basketball high into the air, full of vigor:
"Sis! This genius is determined to lead Shohoku to national domination!"
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