Ryonan vs. Shohoku (1)

Sakuragi Hanamichi and Xiangtian Yanyi watched the scene unfold. Sakuragi opened his mouth, but in the end, he could not say a word.

Yueye Hongming snorted coldly. "What outrageous boasting!"

Sendoh merely smiled faintly, calm and composed as he extended a hand. "Please guide me."

Sakuragi refused to be outdone and reached out to shake his hand.

Their hands clasped, and the game was about to begin.

Three girls hurried into the second-floor stands of Ryonan High School's basketball gym.

Each had a distinct appearance and temperament. They were Akagi Haruko and her two best friends, Matsui and Fujii.

"We finally made it! Good thing the game has only just started!"

Akagi Haruko panted as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, her face full of relief.

Matsui shot her a sidelong glare, her voice carrying unconcealed resentment. "Honestly, it's all because you're so clumsy! You made us run along with you!"

Akagi Haruko gave an embarrassed smile, her cheeks slightly red. "There you go saying things like that again!"

Just then, Fujii suddenly cried out and pointed toward a corner of the stands. "Quick, look over there!"

Akagi Haruko and Matsui followed her finger. The next second, all three faces fell at once, their expressions freezing into utterly despairing grimaces.

At the edge of the nearby stands stood three girls in a row, dressed in pink-and-white cheerleading uniforms with absurdly short skirts that nearly exposed everything.

Their outfits were so exaggerated they were almost comical. They wore sequined headbands, heavy blush, and waved bright yellow pom-poms as they lifted their legs high and shouted in perfect unison with all their might, "Liu Zhenfeng, I love you!"

"I love you!"

Their voices were loud enough to blow the roof off, and their hypnotic rhythm was like some brainwashing pop song. The cries came one after another without pause, echoing throughout the entire gym. Where had they come from?

Xiangtian Yanyi stared blankly at the three cheerleaders cheering with all their strength.

As a proper high school girl, she felt she should not be looking, yet she simply could not tear her eyes away.

Those miniskirts were stretched to their limit. Whenever they raised their legs, flashes of snow-white thighs appeared, and she could even vaguely glimpse white triangles that flickered in and out of view.

The sight made quite a few boys in the gym's hearts race, their nosebleeds nearly ready to burst forth. Chi Tong merely cast a casual glance their way.

Putting basketball aside, in the world of Slam Dunk, these three girls were undoubtedly among the best when it came to their devotion and persistence toward Liu Chuanfeng.

Whether the games were in Kanagawa, Tokyo, or some remote area, they always appeared out of nowhere and followed him like shadows.

As the spectators gradually took their seats and the atmosphere grew livelier, the game on the court was finally about to officially begin.

At center court for the tip-off, Uozumi and Akagi stood face-to-face, their gazes sharp as blades. Akagi's lips curled slightly as he deliberately provoked, "I never expected that after only a few days apart, you couldn't even hold onto the captaincy."

How could Uozumi fail to see through Akagi's little scheme? Both were pillars of their respective teams, and they understood each other's pride and probing perfectly well.

He gave a soft snort, his expression unchanged as he replied coolly, "Even if I'm not captain anymore, dealing with you will still be more than easy."

Ryonan's starting lineup: center Uozumi, No. 5, third year; power forward Shandao Ryoji, second year; small forward Sendoh, No. 7, second year; shooting guard Yueye Hongming, No. 8, second year; point guard Uekusa Tomoyuki, No. 9, second year.

Shohoku's starting lineup: center Akagi Takenori, No. 4, third year; power forward Rukawa, No. 11, first year; small forward Mumu Gongyan, No. 5, third year; shooting guard Mitsui, No. 8, second year; point guard An Tian Jingchun, No. 6, second year. Just then, the referee blew the whistle!

A sharp whistle tore through the tense air of the gym. The basketball was tossed high above center court as Uozumi and Akagi sprang off the ground at the same time. Their legs exploded with astonishing power, their bodies soaring like beasts, both arms raised high and fingertips reaching for the sky as they fiercely grabbed for the ball that would decide possession!

The two were evenly matched, and Ayako standing courtside could not help crying out.

Their jumping height, reaction speed, and posture in the air were almost perfectly synchronized, like two moving mountains colliding violently in midair.

Yet the next instant, Akagi's fingertips flicked sharply. The motion was clean and crisp, and the basketball traced a beautiful arc as though precisely controlled, dropping straight into Shohoku's backcourt.

Yasuda had already been waiting in readiness and caught the ball firmly.

Shohoku immediately launched a fast break. Ryonan did not panic, their defensive formation swiftly falling back in an orderly rhythm.

The moment Uozumi saw the ball go to Shohoku, he did not hesitate in the slightest. He turned and raced back on defense, charging beneath the basket in a few strides and standing there like a giant tower guarding a city gate, his body upright and his imposing presence as heavy as a mountain.

He suddenly roared, his voice like a great bell, making the entire paint seem to tremble.

"Come on, Shohoku!"

His voice carried pressure and provocation, along with an inviolable air of dominance.

An Tian Jingchun, who was driving forward with the ball, felt his heart jolt. His steps involuntarily paused, and a hint of apprehension flashed across his face.

In that split second, Uekusa Tomoyuki appeared like a shadow, bursting out from the flank with a clean, decisive steal. His hand sliced like a blade, knocking the ball from Yasuda's grasp.

"Damn it!"

Yasuda's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly turned to chase after him, but Uekusa Tomoyuki's speed was no longer what it had once been.

After this period of hellish special training, his explosiveness, sense of rhythm, and defensive anticipation had all undergone a qualitative leap. Even though An Tian Jingchun sprinted at full speed, he could not easily catch up to Uekusa Tomoyuki's advance.

"Ah!"

"So fast!"

Everyone on Shohoku was shaken, their eyes filled with shock.

They had never imagined that an originally obscure bench player could unleash such terrifying speed and aggression.

Uekusa Tomoyuki sped forward with the ball, advancing into the frontcourt like the wind, his gaze firm and his steps steady.

Seeing that Kogure had already gotten back into position and sealed off the direct driving lane, he did not hesitate.

With a flick of his wrist, the basketball shot like an arrow from a bow into the hands of Sendoh, who was cutting toward the open side.

The instant the ball reached his hands, Liu Chuanfeng pressed up against him like a cheetah, his eyes locked on him.

The battle boiled over, as if Liu Chuanfeng wanted to devour Sendoh whole.

Sendoh held the ball and squared off against Liu Chuanfeng. Their gazes clashed, sparks seeming to fly through the air as their fighting spirit collided fiercely in silence.

But just as everyone held their breath, expecting them to begin an isolation battle, Sendoh's lips curled into a confident, composed smile.

With a swing of his arm, the basketball sliced across the air like a sharp blade, landing with pinpoint precision in the hands of Shandao Ryoji, who had shaken free of his defender.

Shandao Ryoji caught the ball. The space ahead of him was wide open, with no one guarding him. Without hesitation, he drove into Shohoku's paint, took three steps, rose into the air, and went for the layup!

The basketball dropped through the net!

Ryonan scored first!

Ryonan 2, Shohoku 0. "Hey, great pass! Beautiful play, Sendoh! Keep up the active teamwork!"