Against Takezato

"I never expected Shohoku to be this strong. It's really surprising."

Outside the gymnasium, the entire Miuradai team had gathered at a restaurant for lunch.

"Super rookie Rukawa Kaede, Mitsui Hisashi, the former National Junior High Tournament MVP, Akagi the Big Black Pillar, Miyagi Ryota, who may be short but is incredibly fast, and red-haired Sakuragi, who kept grabbing rebounds over three 190-centimeter giants from Shoyo. When did Shohoku assemble such an incredible lineup?"

"Shohoku was never a weak team. If Mitsui Hisashi hadn't been sidelined for two years because of injuries, Shohoku would probably have made a name for itself in the prefecture, or even across Japan, long ago."

Wu Yufei analyzed calmly.

"Yufei, you really know Shohoku well."

Junko remarked from beside him.

When the Prefectural Tournament bracket had first come out, Wu Yufei had immediately looked into Shohoku and declared that they would definitely be this year's dark horse. Just as he had said, Shohoku had fought their way through every round, defeating strong teams like Tsukubu and Shoyo to charge into the semifinals.

"What do you think about this afternoon's game against Takezato, Yufei?"

Coach Harada asked.

Wu Yufei finished the last spoonful of salad and wiped his mouth.

"Nothing special. We'll have half a month off after today's game anyway, so there's no need to hold back. Let's win by an even bigger margin than we did against Kainan and let everyone see what we're capable of."

"Heh, that's certainly an inspiring statement. Then I'll be counting on you this afternoon."

Coach Harada had only one thought now: being a coach could actually be such an easy job.

"Everyone, now that we've made it this far, I'm sure a lot of people think we can no longer display the same dominance we had in our previous games. After all, Takezato was one of last year's Final Four teams and the top seed in our group."

Taking the opportunity, Coach Harada gave the team a boost.

"Since people have such mistaken ideas, we need to help them correct them. My demand for this afternoon's game is simple: just like in the previous four games, I want you to blow them out in the first half and turn the second half into garbage time!"

"Yes!!"

Everyone immediately answered in unison.

That afternoon, at exactly two o'clock.

There were still thirty minutes until the game began, yet the stands were already packed.

Both Miuradai and Takezato had cheer squads formed by students who had come of their own accord, each occupying one side of the stands as they competed against the other.

What surprised the neutral spectators was Miuradai's banner.

Unlike the earlier slogans of struggle and perseverance, after four crushing victories, Miuradai's new banner bore two striking white characters on black cloth—Tyrant!

That was right. Tyrant might not sound like a positive word at first glance, but it truly suited Miuradai's style as they bulldozed their way through the tournament.

They were incomparably brutal, mercilessly crushing every opponent by more than a hundred points, like a ruthless monarch dealing with enemies without the slightest regard for mercy.

Those two huge characters would surely put some psychological pressure on their opponents as well.

"Haha, Tyrant? I quite like that title."

When Wu Yufei and his teammates emerged from the players' tunnel and saw the banner hanging there, he immediately nodded with a satisfied smile.

Soon afterward, players from teams that had already finished their morning games, including Shohoku, Kainan, and Shoyo, also began arriving in the stands.

"A Maki, which side do you think will win this game?"

After finding their seats, Koto Riki leisurely waved the folding fan in his hand as he asked.

"Miuradai."

A Maki gave his answer almost instantly.

"After those third-year upperclassmen from last year graduated, Takezato simply isn't on Miuradai's level anymore."

"Looks like you've done quite a bit of homework too. Then what do you think of Miuradai's exchange student? He plays the same position as you. Unless something unexpected happens, you two will face each other in half a month."

Coach Takato continued questioning him.

Coach Takato was actually quite familiar with Wu Yufei. Half a year ago, he had specifically gone to Wu Yufei's middle school to recruit him.

Naturally, A Maki knew about that, so he asked in return, "Shouldn't you know more about him than I do, Coach? Wasn't your original plan to have him replace me after I retired at the end of this year?"

Coach Takato gave an embarrassed laugh at A Maki's words.

"Nothing gets past you, does it? Then let's look forward to seeing what kind of performance he puts on today."

Two-thirty in the afternoon...

Beep—!

With the referee's whistle, the Group D Final of the Kanagawa Prefectural Tournament, Miuradai High School versus Takezato High School, officially began!!

"Haaah!!"

During the tip-off, Naito Tetsuya once again overpowered his opponent with his more explosive physical gifts and successfully tipped the ball toward Wu Yufei.

"Good. Let's go. No need to rush..."

After catching and securing the incoming basketball, Wu Yufei raised his right index finger and called out.

Bang!!

Just when everyone thought Wu Yufei's series of actions meant he was preparing to settle things down and secure the first basket through a half-court set, he suddenly fired the ball out with an extremely long bounce pass.

The basketball instantly pierced through the defensive line formed by Takezato's five players and was smoothly caught by Murasame Kengo, who had somehow already run to the three-point line. He then drove straight into the paint, leaped up, and hammered down a thunderous dunk!

In no more than five seconds, Miuradai had scored first.

The spectators naturally responded to the basket with applause and cheers.

"What a beautiful pass. It pierced through Takezato's defense in an instant."

Koto Riki praised.

Even he had been fooled by Wu Yufei's movement just now.

"Damn it, they scored first. We have to catch up quickly..."

Takezato's point guard brought the ball into the frontcourt. Just as he was about to stop and check his teammates' positioning, he discovered in the next moment that the basketball had slipped out of his control.

Bang!!

After stealing the ball, Wu Yufei floored the accelerator and raced toward Takezato's half, leaving all nine remaining players behind to eat his dust.

Charging into Takezato's restricted area, Wu Yufei faced an undefended Takezato basket and finished the possession with a spectacular windmill slam.

"You're on fire today."

His teammates came forward to greet Wu Yufei, high-fiving him one by one in celebration.

"Not bad. Winning this game means we'll advance to the round-robin Finals."

Wu Yufei nodded.

The reason he had come out in such scorching form was simple: after spending the past month giving him nothing but scraps, the system had finally decided to give him something worthwhile today!

Main Quest: Dominate Japan's High School Basketball Scene!

Japan's modest high school basketball scene was merely an insignificant stop on the road for a host determined to play in the NBA. Conquer and dominate Japan's high school basketball scene, and make every spectator go wild and cheer for you!

Mission Step 8 in progress: Although the opponent is Takezato, one of last year's Final Four teams, they are merely a paper tiger already past its prime. Claim a crushing victory and lead the team triumphantly into the round-robin Finals!

Mission Requirement: Lead the team to victory while personally recording a 30+20+10 Triple-Double.

Mission Completion Rewards:

① Allocatable Attribute Point x1;

② Item [Jason Williams Dream Pass Experience Card] x1

Mission Failure Penalty: The [Slam Dunk] system will be permanently shut down.