Two-Man Trap, the Invisible No. 16

That shout was full of vigor, echoing through the entire court.

Hanamichi Sakuragi, who was wrestling with Ikegami in the paint, trembled all over.

Before his brain could process what "combining" meant, his body had already reacted on instinct.

His body reacted faster than his mind.

Like a red cannonball, Sakuragi charged out of the paint and instantly positioned himself beside Koshino and Uekusa.

Like a solid red brick wall.

"What?!"

Koshino slammed headfirst into Sakuragi's hard back muscles. It felt like he had crashed into a truck, and the pain made him bare his teeth.

Taking advantage of that fleeting opening.

Lin Bei sidestepped to the left.

The space in front of him opened up completely.

"Thanks, genius."

Lin Bei's lips curled up as he raised the basketball again.

His left hand steadied the ball, while his right hand supported it.

A textbook shooting form.

His knees bent slightly, and he jumped.

That despair-inducing hang time appeared once more.

"Stop him!!!" Taoka Moichi screamed, clutching his head.

But it was too late.

The basketball left his hand.

Once again, it flew toward the dome of the gymnasium.

Everyone had to crane their heads upward again, as though taking part in some collective worship ritual.

Time seemed to stretch out.

The basketball traced a perfect arc through the air.

"Swish!"

Nothing but net.

85:80.

"Waaah! It went in again!"

"My God! Did he throw that from the second floor?"

"Is that No. 16 a monster? Does every shot go in as long as nobody guards him?"

The stands erupted completely.

Even Ryonan's supporters began to switch sides, cheering for that miraculous shooting display.

"Did you see that?!"

"This is the combined tactic of this genius and his master!"

Although Hanamichi Sakuragi had no idea what had happened.

The moment he saw the ball go in, he immediately planted his hands on his hips and laughed smugly.

"That's called a pick-and-roll, idiot."

Kaede Rukawa passed by and coldly twisted the knife.

Over the next few minutes, the game entered a suffocating exchange of attacks.

Ryonan stood united.

Uozumi exploited Akagi's not-yet-healed injury and forced a basket in from under the hoop.

87:80.

On the way back, Lin Bei used the same trick again.

"Sakuragi! Combine!"

"Coming!!"

This time, Sakuragi was much more practiced, taking one huge step to block Sendoh, who had come over to help.

Lin Bei shot directly from two meters beyond the three-point line.

An incredibly high arc.

"Swish!"

87:83.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Taoka Moichi paced back and forth anxiously along the sideline. The clipboard in his hand had already been snapped in half.

"Why can't we stop him?! Why?!"

"Can he make it as long as there's even the tiniest gap?!"

Ryonan attacked again.

Faced with Kaede Rukawa's relentless defense, Sendoh was burning through his stamina.

He chose to drive and kick, assisting Ikegami for a mid-range basket.

89:83.

A six-point gap.

Only one minute remained.

Shohoku attacked.

Lin Bei dribbled, sweat sliding down his cheeks.

"I'm exhausted..."

"This skill is accurate, but it's murder on the waist."

Lin Bei felt like his kidneys were protesting.

But he glanced at the scoreboard.

"One more."

This time, Ryonan extended their defense as a whole.

Even Uozumi had stepped up near the free-throw line.

"We absolutely can't let him get a shot off!"

Lin Bei looked at the airtight defense, then suddenly slammed the ball to the floor.

[Daiki Aomine · Hyper-Speed Dribbling]

The basketball seemed glued to his hand, dancing along with the violent swaying of his body.

Koshino and Uekusa instantly lost their balance.

Lin Bei drove inside the three-point line.

Just when everyone thought he was going for a layup, he suddenly stopped short and took a step back.

He retreated beyond the three-point line again.

He jumped.

"Not a chance!"

Sendoh charged in from the side, his long arm blotting out the sky.

But Lin Bei leaned back at an astonishing angle, practically lying in midair as he released the ball.

The ball sailed past Sendoh's fingertips and flew high into the air.

Everyone's hearts rose to their throats.

"Thunk, thunk, thunk."

The basketball bounced twice on the rim.

Then it obediently rolled into the net.

89:86.

The gap was down to just three points!

"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

Everyone on Shohoku's bench stood up, linking arms and shouting themselves hoarse.

Coach Anzai pushed up his glasses, and a white gleam flashed across the lenses.

"Sakuragi. Rukawa."

Coach Anzai's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of both players on the court.

"Double-team Sendoh."

Hearing that order, Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa froze at the same time.

The two looked at each other.

The air between them seemed to crackle with sparks.

"Huh? Old man, are you kidding?"

"You want me to work with this damn fox?" Sakuragi looked utterly disgusted, as if he had stepped in dog shit.

"No."

Kaede Rukawa was even more straightforward. He turned and started to walk away.

Sakuragi gritted his teeth.

Kaede Rukawa clenched his fists.

"Tch!"

"Hmph!"

The two turned around at the same time. Though their faces screamed I don't want to, their bodies honestly closed in on Sendoh.

Thirty seconds remained in the game.

Ryonan had possession.

Sendoh held the ball.

Looking at the red and black figures before him, a bitter smile appeared on his face.

"Give me a break."

"Isn't this treatment a little too grand?"

On the left was the physically monstrous Hanamichi Sakuragi, baring his teeth and claws like a crab.

On the right was the technically complete, fierce-eyed Kaede Rukawa, poised like a cheetah.

A two-man trap!

"Stop him!!" Akagi roared from the paint.

Sendoh took a deep breath.

Since he could not avoid them, he would charge through.

"Slap! Slap!"

Sendoh's dribbling frequency instantly increased.

He first feinted left, tricking Sakuragi into shifting his center of gravity.

Then he sharply changed direction to the right, forcing his way through Kaede Rukawa's defense.

"Too naive!" Kaede Rukawa locked down his position.

But at the instant of contact, Sendoh used an unbelievably smooth spin move and actually squeezed through the gap between them!

"What?!"

Kaede Rukawa's pupils contracted sharply.

"That broom-head is so slippery!" Sakuragi reached out to grab him, but caught nothing but air.

He had broken through!

Sendoh had beaten Shohoku's two strongest defensive lines!

Ahead of him lay a clear path.

As long as he made this basket, the game would be settled for good.

Taoka Moichi clenched his fists, his face bursting with the ecstatic joy of victory.

"We won! Ryonan won!"

Sendoh dribbled toward the basket, preparing to finish the game with a safe layup.

However.

The moment he gathered the ball and took his first step.

An intensely strange feeling suddenly welled up inside him.

It was too quiet.

Why... did it feel like someone was missing?

No!

Where had No. 16 gone?

At the very instant that thought flashed through his mind.

A hand appeared beneath the basketball without any warning.

No sound of wind.

No killing intent.

It was as if a hand had always grown from that spot.

"Slap!"

A soft sound rang out.

The basketball in Sendoh's hand was gone.

Sendoh remained in his layup posture, but his hand was completely empty.

He lowered his head in shock.

"Phew... phew..."

"I'm dead tired..."

"Good thing I made it in time."

Lin Bei held the ball, his dead-fish eyes fixed on Sendoh as a sly, triumphant grin curled across his lips.

"Sendoh."

"Keep a closer eye on your things."

With Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa, both immensely conspicuous, double-teaming Sendoh,

Lin Bei successfully reduced his presence to the absolute minimum.

The entire court erupted!

"A steal!!"

"It's that invisible Number 16!"

"Fast break! Fast break!"

"Lin Bei! Pass the ball!"

Takenori Akagi reacted first, pointing toward the frontcourt as he roared.

Kaede Rukawa and Sakuragi had already shot forward like arrows loosed from a bow.

A three-lane fast break!