The Genius Block King

After Coach Omoki's speech, the Jaguars finally emerged from the shadow of their loss to the Glories. Before they could make many adjustments, the team hurriedly left Kobe for their next road game—Sendai.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Such a continuous, crisp sound of shots swishing through the net could perhaps only be heard during practice. Though there was still more than an hour before the game began, Sakuragi, Mitsui, and Miyagi apparently could not sit still any longer. They had arrived early at the Wanderers' home court to get used to the arena and shoot around.

"Saku... Saku... Is that Sakuragi??"

A tall, powerfully built man who looked like an athlete shouted from the sidelines.

"Hey, Sakuragi, I think someone's calling you!"

Sakuragi had been so focused on practicing that he had not heard a thing. It was only after Miyagi reminded him that he turned around.

Sakuragi saw the person calling him. There was no one else in the arena, so he slowly walked over. Yet his steps grew slower and slower as he stared at the man. "Could it be... Yohei??"

"You really are Sakuragi Hanamichi!!"

These two high school best friends had gone only three years without seeing each other, yet they could no longer recognize one another at first glance.

"You know, Takamiya and the others said they had no idea about you dyeing your hair. That eye-catching red is gone, so you were really hard to recognize!"

Since Sakuragi had changed his hair to brown, many old acquaintances had nearly failed to recognize him after his return. It showed just how deeply memorable his former red hair had been.

"It's me, but Yohei, you've changed way too much too! If it weren't for your voice and those slightly angled eyebrows, I really wouldn't have dared to recognize you!" Sakuragi slowly walked up to him.

"You've grown quite a bit these past few years! You're much sturdier than before too! The Sakuragi Gang's combat rating has skyrocketed once again!!"

Once they got closer, Sakuragi compared their heights and teased him.

"Ahem... I stopped fighting a long time ago!"

"Haha!"

After joking around, the two hugged tightly. The brothers had not seen each other in three years, and they had far too much to say.

"Are you ready, Sakuragi?"

"Of course. I came here to win!"

"You're pretty confident, but as your brother, let me give you some advice: Sendoh is really strong—stronger than you imagine!"

"Tch, I thought you were going to tell me some secret strategy. Then let me give you a warning too: I'm really strong—stronger than you imagine!"

Sakuragi and Yohei each delivered their threats before Yohei left the arena.

After the game, they would still be the best of brothers. But from now until the final buzzer, Sakuragi and Yohei were opponents.

"Xiandao, I wonder if you've heard a certain claim."

With the game approaching, Wanderers head coach Zhuangsi Xiti called Xiandao into his office. The two sat facing each other as they talked.

"What claim?"

Xiandao asked doubtfully.

"This year's first overall pick by the Jaguars, Rukawa Kaede, may take your place as the league's number one player in the future—or perhaps even within the next few years!"

"Rukawa Kaede... Our high schools were in the same prefecture, so I've known him for a long time. His basketball skills are indeed outstanding, but some things... who can say for sure? Right?"

Xiandao's words revealed his rejection of that claim.

"But the two of you will soon face each other head-on on the court. By then, media outlets across the country will be watching closely. Perhaps every possession will become irrefutable evidence for that claim. When the final buzzer sounds, there may be an obvious answer."

Coach Zhuangsi's words made Xiandao fall into thought.

"Don't worry. Leave turning the tables to me! If there's nothing else, I'll be going now, Coach!"

After thinking for only a short while, Xiandao rose and prepared to leave. But his eyes no longer carried their usual carefree calm. Instead, they were filled with a rare fighting spirit!

"Xiandao, I believe in you!"

Watching Xiandao leave and close the door behind him, Coach Zhuangsi spoke earnestly.

"Good evening, viewers of NHK! Tonight, we bring you a marquee matchup from this round of the JBa! The recently surging Sendai Wanderers will host the inconsistent Kobe Jaguars! The highlight of this game needs no introduction: what kind of sparks will fly between Wanderers ace Sendoh Akira and the new first overall pick, Rukawa Kaede? We'll find out in the game!"

The NHK reporters were ready. Next came the battle between the two teams on the court!

"1! 2! 3! Jaguars!!"

After their usual chant, the Jaguars took the court.

There were no changes to either side's lineup.

As an old opponent of Xiandao's, Akagi and the others exchanged greetings with him before the tip-off. But Xiandao and Rukawa only shared a simple handshake.

"Take them down, Xiandao. Give it everything you've got!"

Coach Zhuangsi watched Xiandao warm up on the court, full of anticipation.

"Rukawa Kaede, it's time to test you!"

Coach Omoki was likely feeling the same way as Coach Zhuangsi.

"No one even mentioned this genius! Damn it! Then I'll make you all eat your words!"

Sakuragi, too, seemed ready to burst into action.

Akagi and Sendai Wanderers center Watanabe Chisato prepared for the tip-off. The game was about to begin!

"Let's do this!!"

Sakuragi tensed his entire body, eager to get started.

The Wanderers won the opening tip. Point guard Otake Shunta brought the ball across half court and organized the first possession of the game!

Without much ball movement, the ball was passed directly into Xiandao's hands. On the very first possession, the showdown between Xiandao and Rukawa Kaede began!

Rukawa was completely focused, his center of gravity low. Xiandao dribbled slowly, considering how to break through Rukawa's defense!

Suddenly! Xiandao exploded forward!

Xiandao dribbled laterally with his right hand and drove past him. Rukawa stayed tight, and Xiandao's sudden burst failed to shake him off.

"That's about enough!"

Without slowing down at all, Xiandao made an extremely nimble behind-the-back dribble with his right hand, bringing the ball to his left side. Though Rukawa realized what was happening, momentum still carried him half a step away from Xiandao. That half-step was enough. Xiandao pushed the ball far ahead with his left hand, then shot out like a rabbit before the Jaguars' defenders could close in and Rukawa could catch up!

"Look!! Xiandao got past Rukawa Kaede! He got past Rukawa Kaede so cleanly!!" The commentator was incredibly excited. He had not expected such a scene right at the opening of the game.

Once Xiandao regained control of the ball, Akagi had already rotated over to help. But Xiandao had clearly been prepared. As he caught the ball, he spun again in one fluid motion. Akagi, who had planted himself there hoping to draw an offensive foul, did not move at all!

After spinning past Akagi, all Xiandao could see was the basket!

"A dunk!!" The commentator called Xiandao's move in advance.

"The genius Block King Sakuragi is here!"

Just as Xiandao was about to throw down a two-handed dunk, Sakuragi appeared in the most crucial spot and shouted.

Even though Sakuragi was behind the basket, he held the advantage in jumping height. The two engaged in a fierce pure-strength confrontation in midair, Sakuragi using one hand to resist the force of Xiandao's two-handed dunk. When it came to pure strength, Sakuragi had never feared anyone! The two hung in the air for more than a second! In the end, Sakuragi, who had the strength advantage and was better prepared for his jump, seized the upper hand! With one hand, he slammed Xiandao's dunk down!

"Ah!! Ah!! Unbelievable!! This number six rookie actually stuffed Xiandao's point-blank dunk! I've never seen anyone block Xiandao face-to-face! What a shock!! This is terrifying! Just who is this number six!!"

The commentator leaped to his feet in excitement. It was only the first play, yet it had already stirred him up so much. It was no wonder—Sakuragi had blocked Xiandao!

"Beautiful, Sakuragi! This is exactly what you should be doing at this stage. You're the team's defensive anchor. Show your talent to fans across the country! Go, Sakuragi!"

Coach Omoki was just as excited by that spectacular block!

"I didn't expect that even after changing your hair, you'd still play with the same unpredictable style. It's been a long time since I've been this excited! I'm getting serious!"

Akagi raced back into the paint to grab the rebound and launched a fast break. Xiandao spoke to Sakuragi, who had fallen to the floor alongside him.

"Tch, who cares whether you're serious or not..."

Sakuragi's words made Xiandao freeze for a moment before he smiled helplessly.

On the other end, the Jaguars launched a fast break. Miyagi passed to Rukawa, who had slipped ahead unnoticed. The Wanderers had lost track of him, allowing Rukawa to catch the ball and finish a one-handed slam with no defender around him!

"These two rookies, Rukawa Kaede and Sakuragi Hanamichi, have shown outstanding individual ability on both offense and defense. It seems the Jaguars truly came prepared! Now we'll see whether Xiandao can respond!"

Coach Zhuangsi may not have expected the Jaguars to come out so focused, as though they were playing a playoff game!

"Going through a crushing defeat can be a good thing too. The key is making the players stay alert! The intensity at the start of this game is very good. Keep it up, everyone!"

Coach Omoki looked calm as he sat there, but inwardly, he was worried for his players.