Tsuku Taku Controls the Game?!

The gymnasium was brightly lit, the basketball emitting a faint orange glow as it bounced and shimmered under everyone's gaze.

Akagi Takenori and Nangou Koichiro leaped high like two mountains rising from the earth, reaching for the falling ball.

Slap...

Two large hands, like palm-leaf fans, slammed down on the basketball almost simultaneously.

Compressed by the force of their palms, the ball shot out like a wild horse that had broken its reins.

Shohoku's bench.

Everyone watching was startled.

It was a tie.

Ishii Kentaro's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "The opponent's number 15, isn't he a freshman!"

Sasazuka Tomoya added, "I never expected them to jump that high."

On the court.

The ball bounced out and luckily landed towards Tsukitake's side.

In the blink of an eye, the ball was passed to Natsume Hiroshi.

Miyagi Ryota quickly moved forward, arms spread wide like a moving wall, blocking Natsume Hiroshi.

Natsume Hiroshi's lips curved into a smirk. His body suddenly flickered, then he raised the ball high, feigning a pass.

Miyagi Ryota reacted instantly, about to move, but Natsume Hiroshi abruptly retracted his action. With a behind-the-back crossover, he instantly fooled Miyagi Ryota, then followed it up with another behind-the-back dribble.

Miyagi Ryota stumbled, losing his defensive position, and could only watch as Natsume Hiroshi dribbled the ball towards the Shohoku basket.

Seeing this, Rukawa Kaede's feet flew, chasing rapidly and putting pressure on Natsume Hiroshi.

Just as Rukawa Kaede successfully cut in front of Natsume Hiroshi, Natsume Hiroshi didn't stop. As if performing magic, he flicked the ball to the side, passing it precisely to Nangou Koichiro.

After receiving the ball, Nangou Koichiro dribbled towards Shohoku's inside, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Make way, make way! Watch this!"

"Don't get too cocky, kid," Akagi Takenori stuck close to him, giving the opponent no room.

As they neared the basket, Nangou Koichiro sprang up like he had springs in his legs, ready to shoot.

Akagi Takenori was not to be outdone. He leaped at the same moment, his palm whistling through the air as he slammed down.

Slap...

A dull thud echoed.

Nangou Koichiro was firmly blocked by Akagi Takenori, a big block.

However, the ball flew out and landed in Natsume Hiroshi's hands again.

Natsume Hiroshi, quick as a flash, didn't even look. Seeing Rukawa Kaede approaching, he directly executed a spin pass to Tsukitake's Power Forward, Mine Kenta.

Mine Kenta received the ball and, using Natsume Hiroshi's screen, tossed it back again, passing it to his Captain, Godai Tomokazu.

At this moment, there was no one in front of Godai Tomokazu; he was wide open.

Without hesitation, he raised the ball, jumped, and shot, all in one fluid motion.

The ball traced a beautiful, rainbow-like arc through the air, landing precisely in Shohoku's basket.

Swish...

Nothing but net.

Shohoku 0, Tsukitake 3.

Tsukitake scored first.

Instantly, the cheers of the Tsukitake cheerleaders in the stands erupted like a surging tide.

"Tsukitake... Tsukitake... Tsukitake..."

Shohoku's bench.

"So fast, their teamwork is so seamless," Yasuda Yasuharu marveled.

Shiosaki Satoshi said grimly, "They managed to evade Rukawa and Miyagi so easily."

Ayako was also a bit stunned. "Although most of Tsukitake's players are small, they make up for it with speed, and their offensive rhythm and coordination are excellent."

Coach Anzai nodded beside her. "Yes, they are a very good team."

Shimizu Kanon spoke up, "Tsukitake's weakness is obvious: their height. This style of play might catch us off guard, but as time goes on, their stamina will significantly decrease. While that applies to us too, but..."

Saying this, she looked up at Qing Junce on the court, thinking to herself, "If they can't stop A-Ce, coordination alone won't be enough."

Akagi Takenori's gaze was sharp as he quickly scanned his teammates' positions on the court.

Just as he was about to pass the ball to Qing Junce, two figures suddenly appeared beside him – Tsukitake's Nangou Koichiro and Mine Kenta.

Nangou Koichiro looked at Qing Junce with a sly grin. "I'm not letting you get the ball. Don't even think about it while I'm here."

A double-team on Qing Junce right from the start?

Everyone on Shohoku and the spectators alike were stunned into silence. No one had expected Tsukitake to place such importance on Qing Junce.

Seeing that Qing Junce couldn't pass the ball, Akagi Takenori decisively passed it to Miyagi Ryota.

Miyagi Ryota, dribbling the ball, charged forward like a gust of wind.

But before he could reach half-court, Natsume Hiroshi, like a phantom, blocked his path.

Miyagi Ryota tried every trick in the book, weaving left and right, but Natsume Hiroshi stuck to him like glue, impossible to shake off.

With no other choice, Miyagi Ryota glanced sideways and spotted a flash of red. He immediately waved to pass the ball.

But just then, Natsume Hiroshi, quick as lightning, extended his hand, his fingertips brushing the flying basketball.

The ball was instantly intercepted and, by sheer luck, landed in Tsukitake's hands.

Mine Kenta appeared out of nowhere, steadily catching the ball Natsume Hiroshi had intercepted.

Before Miyagi Ryota could react, Mine Kenta slammed the ball down, aiming for Miyagi Ryota's legs.

The ball bounced off the floor, passed between Miyagi Ryota's legs, and returned to Natsume Hiroshi's hands.

Natsume Hiroshi seized the opportunity for a long pass. The ball arced through the air, landing precisely in Nangou Koichiro's hands.

Nangou Koichiro caught the ball, jumped, and executed a flawless three-step layup in one fluid motion.

The ball swished through the net.

Shohoku 0, Tsukitake 5.

It was Shohoku's turn to inbound the ball.

Qing Junce was double-teamed again, unable to receive the pass at all.

Rukawa Kaede was also tightly guarded.

Akagi Takenori passed the ball to Mitsui Hisashi this time.

Upon receiving the ball, Mitsui Hisashi shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring. He drove past two defenders and charged all the way to Tsukitake's three-point line.

He jumped with both feet, aimed at the basket, preparing to shoot a three-pointer.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed by. It was Godai Tomokazu.

He stretched his arm high, like a black wall, blocking Mitsui Hisashi's shooting lane.

Then, Godai Tomokazu swung his palms with force.

Slap...

With a crisp sound, the basketball was batted away.

Mine Kenta, quick-eyed and agile, appeared in time to steadily catch the flying ball. He then executed a no-look pass, returning the ball to Natsume Hiroshi.

Natsume Hiroshi dribbled quickly, charging straight into Shohoku's paint.

But he stopped just before entering the restricted area.

Right in front of Akagi Takenori, he suddenly spun around and passed the ball back to Godai Tomokazu, who was catching up from behind.

After receiving the pass, Godai Tomokazu leaped high again to shoot.

Swoosh...

The ball cut through the air and, once again, swished cleanly through Shohoku's hoop.

Shohoku 0, Tsukitake 8.

Aida Yayoi stared at the score on the electronic scoreboard in surprise. "I didn't expect Tsukitake to control the game from the very beginning. When Shohoku focuses on Tsukitake's center, Godai's three-pointers exploit the opening. What is Shohoku going to do?"

On Ryonan's side.

Aida Kenichi looked at the 0-8 score, his face full of disbelief. "Shohoku hasn't scored a single point yet! What's going on? It seems like both Rukawa Kaede and Qing Junce are being shut down."

Koshino Hiroaki analyzed, "Tsukitake's center is no joke. He's completely drawing Akagi's attention."

Ikegami Ryoji added, "Tsukitake immediately restricted Qing Junce's movements. It's clear they don't want him to get the ball easily."

Sendoh watched Qing Junce below without saying a word.

He didn't believe that just two players could contain Qing Junce.

On the other side.

Hanagata Toru looked at the situation off the court and said, "Tsukitake is complementing each other inside and out. If Shohoku continues to let Tsukitake score, the situation will spiral out of control."

Fujima Kenji's gaze was deep. "There are three players who can break Shohoku's unfavorable situation right now: Rukawa Kaede, Mitsui Hisashi, and Qing Junce. Although I'm not sure about Qing Junce's true strength, it will be difficult for Tsukitake to lock down all three of them simultaneously."

As if to confirm Fujima Kenji's words.

The ball returned to Shohoku's possession.

This time, the one who struck first wasn't Qing Junce, but Rukawa Kaede.

Rukawa Kaede faked out his opponent, quickly broke free for an open spot, and successfully received the pass.

He dribbled the ball, like a whirlwind, charging towards Tsukitake's basket.

Izumi Takashi hurried to block him, but Rukawa Kaede was too fast. With a few consecutive changes of direction, he slipped away like an eel.

Rukawa Kaede quickly stepped into Tsukitake's paint and then jumped high for a shot.

Nangou Koichiro arrived just in time, leaping high to attempt a block.

Just as everyone thought Rukawa Kaede's shot would be blocked.

Rukawa Kaede suddenly retracted his shooting hand, spun in mid-air, and threw the ball towards the back and side.

Nangou Koichiro's face showed surprise.

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared and steadily caught Rukawa Kaede's pass.

This person was none other than Akagi Takenori.

Akagi Takenori held the ball with both hands, stomped hard on the ground, and leaped up. Like a king of the forest unleashing his fury, he fiercely slammed the ball into Tsukitake's hoop.

Clang...

The ball went through the net.

Shohoku 2 - 8 Tsukitake.

Shohoku finally broke their scoring drought since the start of the game.

"It's okay, we'll score back," Godai Tomokazu clapped his hands and then encouraged his teammates.

"Yes..." the Tsukitake players responded in unison, their morale soaring.

Heh...

Just then, Qing Junce let out a cold laugh. "I thought the top 8 teams in the Prefectural Tournament were supposed to be tough! This is pathetic."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a stone dropped into a calm lake. The players from both Shohoku and Tsukitake heard him clearly, and even the spectators by the sidelines caught some of it.

"What's he saying?"

"Shohoku is the one trailing right now, he must be bragging!"

"Maybe he's given up after falling behind!"

The spectators chattered amongst themselves, thinking Qing Junce might be talking big.

Nangou Koichiro looked at Qing Junce, his face full of smugness, and said arrogantly, "What nonsense are you spouting? We're the ones leading now. You're completely shut down by us, you can't do anything, right?"

"Huh? What kind of joke is that?" Qing Junce's face showed undisguised disdain.

He looked up at the Tsukitake players and said, "Shut me down? With you guys?"

He turned around, no longer paying attention to the Tsukitake players, and walked towards his own basket. At the same time, he said to Akagi Takenori, "Don't mind them, just pass me the ball."