Beep...
The whistle blew.
Tsukitake requested a timeout.
At this point, a little over three minutes had already passed since the start of the match.
The scoreboard temporarily rested at 8 to 10.
Although Tsukitake currently led Shohoku by 2 points.
Anyone could tell that the one on the losing end right now was Tsukitake.
The Tsukitake bench.
Kawasaki Kazumi, the coach of Tsukitake, looked at his players with a stern gaze.
He had to come up with a way to resolve the current situation.
Yet that number 9 on the opposing team was truly rather tricky to handle.
Just what should he do?
Izumi Takashi spoke up with lingering disbelief, "I never expected that opposing number 9 to still be hiding this trick."
Mine Kenta chimed in, "Yeah! That kind of shot is just too foul!"
Nangou Koichiro sat there with an expression like he was constipated, muttering nonstop, "Damn it! Why is that guy so strong?"
Godai Tomokazu clenched his fists, then turned resolute and walked straight in front of everyone, saying in a loud voice, "The match has only just begun. The opponent is just one guy; we don't need to fear him at all. As long as we keep scoring, the one who wins will definitely be us."
Kawasaki Kazumi spoke up at that moment, "That's right, the match has only just begun. That number 9 is indeed unexpected, but I observed his play and noticed one thing: every single time, he plays solo and has never passed the ball once. So when he gets the ball, use as many players as possible to double-team him and compress his operating space, especially in the paint."
Hearing this, everyone on Tsukitake lit up, and the confidence that had just been battered finally stabilized again.
They chorused in response, "Understood..."
The Shohoku bench.
Shimizu Kanon wore a gentle smile with curved eyes, speaking softly to Qing Junce, "You performed really well today! It's been a long time since I last saw you use that shot from just now."
Qing Junce opened his water bottle, tilted his head back to gulp down a few mouthfuls of water, then set the bottle down and let out a soft hum, his tone full of disdain. "Hmph... They're only marginally stronger than those previous opponents anyway."
Shimizu Kanon nodded slightly, explaining, "No matter what, the opponent is last year's Top 8 team. They definitely have strength."
Qing Junce set the water bottle aside, stood up with a confident and domineering look in his eyes, and said, "So what if they're the Top 8? To me, it doesn't even count as a warm-up."
Meanwhile, Sakuragi Hanamichi was clinging tightly to Coach Anzai like a little shadow.
With an anxious face, he loudly clamored, "Oh come on! Old Man, just let me on the court! Look, our score is falling behind now, and those guys are totally useless! Just let me go on and break the deadlock!"
Ho-ho-ho-ho...
Coach Anzai wore a gentle smile, simply listening quietly without responding to Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Sakuragi Hanamichi blinked his large eyes and, seeing the coach ignore him, remained unrelenting as he continued, "Old Man, are you even listening? You can just sub Rukawa Kaede or Qing Junce off!"
Ho-ho-ho-ho...
Coach Anzai still just smiled, still giving no reply whatsoever.
Sakuragi Hanamichi furrowed his brows slightly, suppressing the anger in his heart as he raised his voice, "Stop going 'ho-ho-ho'."
At that moment, Coach Anzai slowly turned his head and looked calmly at Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Seeing this, Sakuragi Hanamichi instantly reined in his eagerness, turned somewhat serious, and stared straight at Coach Anzai with a gaze full of anticipation.
The two stared at each other like that for a long time, the atmosphere somewhat delicate.
Suddenly, Coach Anzai cracked a smile again.
Ho-ho-ho-ho...
At this, Sakuragi Hanamichi completely blew his top. His face flushed red with anger, and he lunged forward to headbutt Coach Anzai's head, shouting loudly, "Damn it! I told you to stop going 'ho-ho-ho-ho'!"
Slap!
Ayako hurried over, immediately wielding a paper fan to deal a heavy strike to Sakuragi Hanamichi's head, and said crossly, "Behave yourself, and besides, you're not allowed to headbutt the coach."
Beep...
With a blast of the referee's whistle, the timeout ended.
The match restarted.
The moment Qing Junce stepped back onto the court, his keen perception instantly caught the shift in the Tsukitake players' momentum. "Oh? You adjusted your mindsets this quickly?"
The corners of his mouth hooked upward, and a bewitching smile surfaced on his face. "This makes it interesting; otherwise, it would be far too boring."
Tsukitake possession.
Right from the inbound, the Shohoku players distinctly sensed the change in Tsukitake.
They saw that the Tsukitake players were intentionally or unintentionally keeping a well-judged distance from Qing Junce—maintaining a state where they could quickly close in to defend while also creating space in time to dodge, attempting to restrict Qing Junce's offense through this method.
However, their wishful thinking missed the mark.
Such a strategy might still work against ordinary players, but facing Qing Junce, it was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree—completely useless.
"Insignificant tricks." Qing Junce gave a disdainful, cold snort, his eyes filled with contempt.
The Tsukitake players cooperated seamlessly, passing the ball continuously and quickly advancing it into Shohoku's paint.
After receiving the ball, Nangou Koichiro exerted force rapidly, wedging Akagi Takenori firmly behind him.
With a ferocious grin on his face, he let out a great shout and leaped high, preparing to deliver a mighty dunk. "This ball is mine!"
Yet at that exact instant.
Smack...
With a sharp snap, the savage grin on Nangou Koichiro's face froze instantly.
He only felt his hands grow empty, and immediately afterward, a basketball entered his field of vision from bottom to top.
How could that be?
He felt a shock in his heart as the corner of his eye caught a flash of red.
He swiftly shifted his eyeballs, and then his pupils violently constricted.
That patch of red bore a striking, oversized number 9 printed on it.
It was him.
Indeed, the one who had swatted the basketball from Nangou Koichiro's hands was none other than Qing Junce, who had quietly materialized out of nowhere.
Having successfully stolen the ball, Qing Junce did not hesitate in the slightest. His speed instantly escalated to the absolute limit, flashing through the crowded Shohoku restricted area like a red streak of lightning.
"Not good, stop him!" Godai Tomokazu spotted the twist of events and immediately shouted loudly to warn his teammates.
Hearing their captain's warning, the Tsukitake players wanted to react, but it was already too late.
When they looked toward Qing Junce, they only caught sight of an afterimage flying past their eyes at high speed.
Even if they wanted to chase, they could only gaze at Qing Junce's retreating back, entirely out of reach.
"Damn it..." Godai Tomokazu cursed inwardly, yet he was helpless.
At this moment, there were no more obstacles ahead of Qing Junce. Entering the realm of no man, he drove straight into the paint, leaped high, and threw down a two-handed explosive dunk, scoring successfully.
The score on the electronic scoreboard shifted once more.
Shohoku 10, Tsukitake 10.
The match continued.
Tsukitake launched a fierce offensive, killing toward Shohoku's defensive line with the ball.
Godai Tomokazu reached out his hand to demand the basketball from his teammate, his gaze resolute as he clearly intended to drive and charge himself.
The moment the ball landed steadily in his hands, he gave a sudden start and tensed up all over, as if targeted by a ferocious beast. "What's going on? Could it be that I'm too nervous?"
Enduring the unease in his heart, he worked hard to steady his mind and prepared to take a step and dribble, when his teammates' urgent warnings suddenly arrived.
"Godai... watch out..."
Hearing this, Godai Tomokazu froze the steps he was about to take, and amid this brief hesitation, a figure suddenly materialized right before his eyes—it was none other than Qing Junce.
Cold sweat broke out wildly on Godai Tomokazu's forehead, large droplets rolling down his cheeks.
That was close; just a fraction of a second later, and the ball in his hands would have been stolen.
Looking at Qing Junce blocking his path like a tall wall, Godai Tomokazu felt immense pressure in his heart and muttered to himself, "Why can he give me such huge pressure? No way, I can't break through."
The two stared at each other for a moment, and Godai Tomokazu ultimately abandoned the idea of a forced breakthrough, opting to pass the ball instead.
With a wave of his arm, he tossed the basketball in the direction of Natsume Hiroshi.
Just as he was about to heave a sigh of relief, he watched in terror as Qing Junce darted out like a red streak of lightning, extending a long arm to steadily intercept the basketball he had thrown.
Smack...
That crisp sound reached Godai Tomokazu's ears, yet it felt like a devil's whisper, making it hard for him to believe.
"What kind of reaction speed is this? The ball had only just left my hand, and my arms hadn't even had time to retract yet, but it still got stolen." Countless profanities stampeded through Godai Tomokazu's mind.
With no time to overthink, he gritted his teeth and desperately tried to step forward to recover.
However, before he could make a move, his pupils violently constricted.
He saw that after intercepting the basketball, Qing Junce moved as smoothly as flowing water without the slightest pause. Flexibly twisting the palm and wrist of the hand blocking the ball and supporting it with one hand, he actually pulled off a 360-degree reverse spin, skillfully slipping around to his other side.
Qing Junce successfully missed positions with Godai Tomokazu, strode forward, and broke through the defense.
"Damn it... damn it... damn it..." Godai Tomokazu gnashed his teeth in absolute unwillingness, yet he was powerless to stop Qing Junce's breakthrough.
Seeing Godai Tomokazu breached, Tsukitake's other players reacted swiftly.
Nangou Koichiro, who was closest, rushed forward in a panic to block him, shouting loudly, "Qing Junce... look at this..."
Qing Junce's gaze turned sharp, a flash crossing his eyes as he directly cut him off, speaking coldly, "Loving whoever you want is your freedom, but... there is one thing that really pisses me off."
Thud...
Thud...
Thud...
The sound of the basketball striking the floor echoed across the court like dense drumbeats.
Qing Junce stood outside the three-point line with the ball, his eyes brimming with confidence and unruliness.
He bent slightly, lowering his center of gravity while the basketball bounced nimbly at his fingertips, seemingly merging as one with his body.
At that moment, Nangou Koichiro swiftly stepped forward, spreading his arms in an attempt to seal off Qing Junce's attacking path.
His gaze was resolute, staring fixedly at every single move of his opponent.
Knowing that Qing Junce's speed was extremely fast, he did not dare to slack off in the least.
Yet the corners of Qing Junce's mouth curled upward, revealing a slightly provocative smile.
The next second, like an arrow released from a string, his starting speed was so fast that people could hardly see his figure.
The basketball spun at high velocity in his hands. As he ran, the frequency of the ball colliding with the floor was astonishingly fast, producing a rapid succession of "thud-thud" sounds.
Nangou Koichiro widened his eyes and, relying on his relatively decent physical fitness and reaction capability, quickly turned to match Qing Junce's pace.
Yet Qing Junce's dribbling breakthrough was far too sharp; his footwork was like a phantom, constantly shifting rhythm and direction.
Under his control, the basketball switched from his left hand to his right hand in an instant, then passed between his legs, making it completely unpredictable.
The distance between Qing Junce and Nangou Koichiro steadily closed, their figures moving rapidly across the court and stirring up a light breeze.
Just when Nangou Koichiro thought he was about to catch up to Qing Junce, Qing Junce executed a sudden abrupt stop, twisting his body sharply while the basketball wrapped around behind his back, completing a brilliant behind-the-back dribble.
This sequence of actions was completed in one go, with a speed that left people marveling endlessly.
Due to momentum, Nangou Koichiro's body surged forward, causing him to lose his balance and sprawl heavily onto the ground, sliding away.
Taking advantage of the opening, Qing Junce accelerated like a red streak of lightning, instantly shattering Nangou Koichiro's defense and charging toward the Tsukitake paint.
His figure flashed past on the court, leaving only Nangou Koichiro sprawling on the ground with a stunned expression.
Stepping into the Tsukitake restricted area once again, Qing Junce leaped off the floor and unleashed a thunderous tomahawk dunk.
Clang...
The deafening crash reverberated through the entire arena.
The ball went successfully through the net.
Shohoku scored 2 more points.
Boom...
The entire arena instantly went wild.
The moment Qing Junce executed his super-high-speed dribble to break past Nangou Koichiro, the whole stadium seemed ignited, erupting with a deafening roar.
Spectators abruptly rose from their seats, their eyes wide open as they stared fixedly at the figure dashing like a red flash on the court, mouths agape wide enough to stuff an egg as gasps involuntarily burst from their throats.
Maki Shinichi's eyes widened, his previously calm-as-a-mountain expression completely cracking.
He stared fixedly at Qing Junce down below, his eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief.
Such terrifying speed.
Just what kind of monster was this guy?
As the king of Kanagawa, he considered himself to have witnessed countless formidable opponents, yet at this moment, Qing Junce's dribbling completely shattered his perception.
Sendoh's lazy demeanor had already vanished, replaced by complete focus and shock.
He was normally casual and untamed, but the move Qing Junce had just displayed left his inner mind unsettled for a long time.
Fujima Kenji's originally calm and wise face was written all over with incredulity.
His brows were locked tight, the shock in his eyes yet to dissipate, and one could only guess what thoughts were churning in his heart.
It was evident that he had already begun to lose his composure at this moment.
Beside him, Hanagata Toru also had his mouth open, his eyes filled with sheer dismay.
He had never witnessed such an exaggerated dribble before.
What on earth was this dribbling?
Before you continue