The tenacious Ryonan Team

"Go, Sakuragi! Great job!" Haruko Akagi's cheers rang out from the stands. She had come to Ryonan as a cheerleader, too.

Haruko Akagi's cheers instantly made Hanamichi Sakuragi lose himself. Rubbing his head bashfully, he grinned foolishly. "Aw, that was nothing. A play like that is perfectly normal for a genius like me."

Although Hanamichi Sakuragi's alley-oop dunk dealt a heavy blow to Ryonan's morale, it could not crush the Ryonan Team just like that.

Akira Sendoh had already run back, received the ball, and begun attacking, but Hanamichi Sakuragi was still standing there showing off, with no intention of getting back on defense.

"Get back on defense, Sakuragi! Don't just stand there!" Ryota Kudo shouted, but it had no effect.

At that moment, Hanamichi Sakuragi had eyes only for Haruko Akagi. He could not hear a word anyone else said.

Sighing helplessly, Ryota Kudo could only concentrate on the defense in front of him. He could not ask too much of Sakuragi, who was still a basketball novice.

In an instant, Akira Sendoh had reached the Shohoku Team's three-point line. Defending him was the star rookie, Kaede Rukawa.

Akira Sendoh was a second-year student this year, and with the experience he had gained at Tokyo's basketball parks, he was considerably stronger than in the original story.

Lowering his center of gravity, Akira Sendoh moved as swiftly as a phantom, beating Kaede Rukawa's defense with a single move.

Driving into the paint, unafraid of Takenori Akagi's defense or Kaede Rukawa chasing behind him, Akira Sendoh leaped with all his strength. With a flick of his fingers, he coolly tied the score with a Jelly Layup.

After scoring, Sendoh did not even glance at Kaede Rukawa. Wearing a confident smile, he immediately headed back on defense.

Kaede Rukawa stood where he was, his expression grim. He had been in a league of his own at Tomigaoka Junior High, and even in Kanagawa Prefecture's Junior High Basketball Tournament, he had never encountered a worthy opponent.

Going so long without an evenly matched opponent had made Kaede Rukawa increasingly aloof and arrogant. He had even missed the final because he overslept, costing Tomigaoka Junior High the championship.

Just after joining Shohoku High School, Kaede Rukawa had encountered the terrifyingly powerful monster Ryota Kudo. Today, another opponent, Akira Sendoh, had appeared.

In the stands, Haruko Akagi watched Kaede Rukawa worriedly, murmuring to herself, "Are you all right, Kaede Rukawa..."

"Snap out of it! It's our turn to attack." Ryota Kudo's shout brought the Shohoku Team's players back to their senses, and they began running toward the other half of the court.

The Shohoku Team's biggest problems were definitely not their strength, but their lack of experience in major competitions and their slow starts.

Even Takenori Akagi, a third-year, had never made it beyond Kanagawa Prefecture. Instead, the most experienced player with the steadiest mindset was the first-year rookie, Ryota Kudo.

Noticing that the Shohoku Team's players were looking a little subdued, Ryota Kudo suddenly accelerated. He was ready to turn things up.

Tomoyuki Uekusa, who had still been able to stay in front of Ryota Kudo, was left behind in an instant. With one long stride inside the three-point line, Ryota Kudo had no one in front of him.

The easiest way to score at that moment was undoubtedly a pull-up midrange jumper, but Ryota Kudo had no intention of doing that. He would use this basket to tell everyone that he, not Akira Sendoh, was the strongest player on the court.

Continuing his full-speed drive into the paint, Ryota Kudo leaped with all his strength right at the 202-centimeter-tall Jun Uozumi.

There were no fakes this time. Ryota Kudo's running leap reached a terrifying height of over a meter, and with his exceptional wingspan, he slammed the ball through the hoop with one hand.

The referee's whistle sounded immediately afterward. Jun Uozumi had fouled him on the arm, earning Ryota Kudo a free throw on top of his dunk over Jun Uozumi.

Landing steadily, Ryota Kudo wore an utterly commanding look in his eyes. Even the fierce-looking Jun Uozumi did not dare meet his gaze, immediately lowering his head and walking aside.

"Nice work, Kudo!" Hanamichi Sakuragi, who had still been standing in the other half of the court, was the first to run over and celebrate with a high five.

Ryota Kudo smiled and high-fived Hanamichi Sakuragi, but still reminded him quietly, "You did great too, Sakuragi, but remember to get back on defense next time, okay?"

He sank the free throw cleanly, putting the Shohoku Team ahead by three again.

The next five minutes practically became a showcase for Ryota Kudo and Akira Sendoh, with both shooting at frighteningly high percentages.

However, all of Akira Sendoh's points came from isolation plays. By this point, he had actually already developed his passing ability.

But against a formidable opponent like Ryota Kudo, Akira Sendoh still placed greater trust in his own scoring ability.

In contrast, Ryota Kudo's offense was much more varied. Not only could he score easily in isolation, but he could also connect the entire team, and every Shohoku High School starter got on the scoreboard.

After five minutes, the score stood at 28-22, with Shohoku High School still leading by six.

"Timeout, Ryonan!"

Coach Moichi Taoka stood up and called a timeout. Although the deficit was not large, Ryonan had already been pushed to the brink.

Akira Sendoh walked to the sideline and sat down, already drenched in sweat. With a white towel draped over him, he kept gasping for breath.

It was not just Akira Sendoh. Ryonan's other players were utterly exhausted as well, and their expressions were filled with despair, as though Shohoku High School were an unbeatable opponent.

Standing before the players with his tactics board, Moichi Taoka had intended to lay out their next plays. But after seeing the state they were in, he put the board back down.

No amount of tactical planning would help now. Restoring the players' confidence was what mattered most.

Clapping his hands, Moichi Taoka addressed everyone on Ryonan loudly. "Are you ready to give up? All because of one first-year rookie on the Shohoku Team?"

"Don't forget, we were one of Kanagawa Prefecture's final four last year! We've trained so hard for an entire year. If you give up this easily, do you think you're doing justice to all that effort?

..."

Moichi Taoka truly was a veteran coach. With just a few words, he ignited the anger of Ryonan's players.

Akira Sendoh, in particular, tore the towel off his head and stood up. "Let's go! Ryonan will win!"

When they returned to the court, Ryonan's presence had changed. Every player looked ready to fight with everything he had.

In the paint, Takenori Akagi established position and held out his hand for the ball. Ryota Kudo immediately passed it inside.

Catching the ball, Takenori Akagi pushed hard, intending to go one-on-one in the paint, but suddenly found that Jun Uozumi behind him had become like a wall he could not budge.

After two more forceful bumps still failed to move Jun Uozumi aside, Takenori Akagi could only gather the ball and turn, preparing to force up a shot.

A thick, powerful hand slammed into the basketball. With a roar, Jun Uozumi blocked Takenori Akagi's shot.

Akira Sendoh caught the ball as it flew out. He took one dribble, then passed it ahead.

Power forward Kiccho Fukuda had already sprinted into the other half of the court. Receiving Akira Sendoh's pass, he finished the fast break with a dunk.

Over the next few possessions, Shohoku High School remained under pressure as Ryonan High School surged forward and began closing the gap.

Those unsuccessful possessions made Ryota Kudo sense that something was wrong. With the Shohoku Team's strength, how could Ryonan be beating them like this?

All he could say was that this truly was the world of Slam Dunk. Mental attributes were also extremely important. Once a team was suppressed mentally, it would fall behind in every respect.

However, Ryota Kudo was not worried in the slightest. Since his teammates were having problems, he would simply do it himself. In the face of absolute strength, all this resistance was futile.

Exploding into motion, Ryota Kudo burst forward even faster than before, instantly tearing through Ryonan's defense and driving into the paint to face Jun Uozumi again.

Ryota Kudo had already spotted an excellent passing lane that would let him feed the unguarded Takenori Akagi.

But Jun Uozumi's foul count instantly flashed through Ryota Kudo's mind. He already had two. Getting him off the court might be a good choice.