Ten minutes later, Shohoku High School already held a commanding 32-13 lead over Miuradai High School.
After making the opening two baskets, Ryota Kudo had not taken another shot.
That was because Shohoku High School could dominate its opponents at every position except power forward.
Ryota Kudo only needed to keep the team connected: Mitsui rained down threes, Kaede Rukawa drove to score, and Akagi overpowered defenders inside.
Even Hanamichi Sakuragi had scored two points by finishing a setup pass with a dunk, and the whole team's morale soared.
If the problem of Tetsuya Naito had not remained unresolved, there would already have been nothing left to watch in this game.
Kainan High School and Ryonan High School had already left the stands. They had both seen what the Shohoku Team was capable of.
It looked as though the team advancing from Group B to the final four would be either Shoyo or Shohoku.
Only Shoyo, Shohoku's first formidable opponent, remained at the venue, intending to watch the entire game.
Tetsuya Naito received the ball again. Without trying anything else, he continued charging toward the basket at full speed.
Despite having been knocked flying many times, Hanamichi Sakuragi stubbornly stood in his way again. He firmly believed he could stop this bald guy all by himself.
Just as before, Tetsuya Naito easily knocked Hanamichi Sakuragi aside, but as he prepared to dunk, a hand stripped the basketball from behind him.
The one who stole the ball was naturally Kaede Rukawa, who had been watching Tetsuya Naito all along. Once he spotted his opponent's weakness, he immediately made his move.
While Hanamichi Sakuragi engaged Tetsuya Naito from the front, he stole the ball from behind.
"Let's go. There's nothing left to watch." Kenji Fujima stood up in the stands. He knew that from this moment on, the game had become nothing but garbage time.
Sure enough, as Shoyo left, the game became completely one-sided.
The forty-minute game ended at 146-21, producing the largest scoring margin of this Kanagawa Prefecture tournament.
Ryota Kudo recorded 32 points, 24 assists, 11 steals, and 10 rebounds, earning the game's MVP with a terrifying all-around stat line.
This game proved why he had once been the "strongest middle school player," and why he would soon become the "strongest high school player."
Shohoku High School also presented an exceptionally dominant showing to everyone, declaring the Shohoku Team's determination to secure a place in the National Tournament!
It was worth mentioning that even though Ryota Kudo had reduced Hanamichi Sakuragi's touches, that famous scene still happened.
For some reason, Hanamichi Sakuragi froze in place for a second while wide open for an easy finish. Only after Tetsuya Naito came over to defend him did he jump for the dunk.
Instead of going through the hoop, the basketball slammed viciously into Tetsuya Naito's gleaming bald head.
Hanamichi Sakuragi's tremendous strength knocked Tetsuya Naito unconscious on the spot. The scene descended into chaos, and the players on both sides nearly came to blows.
After the game, the players on both teams shook hands. By then, Miuradai's players were on the verge of tears.
Those forty minutes had been sheer torture for them. After this game, many Miuradai players would probably give up basketball altogether.
The world of basketball was that cruel. Lacking ability was the original sin.
That afternoon, after the game ended, the members of the Shohoku Team basketball team had all gone home or gone out to celebrate.
Only Ryota Kudo decided to complete his training for the day. The game against Miuradai had not been particularly intense; it could only be called a warm-up.
Unexpectedly, when Ryota Kudo returned to the entrance of Shohoku's basketball gym, he heard the sound of a basketball inside.
It was rather strange for anyone to be in the gym at this hour. Kaede Rukawa was probably Shohoku's only hardworking player.
Besides, Kaede Rukawa would not do his extra training in Shohoku's gym. He would find an outdoor pickup court and practice alone.
Ryota Kudo pushed open the gym doors and looked inside.
The person doing extra training was actually Hisashi Mitsui, who was already utterly exhausted. He was practicing shots on the move.
In today's game against Miuradai, Hisashi Mitsui had not managed to play the entire game.
After just twenty minutes, Hisashi Mitsui had been so out of breath that he had to come off the court to rest.
Just as Ryota Kudo had planned earlier, Ryota Miyagi came off the bench to play point guard, while Kudo himself took over Hisashi Mitsui's shooting guard position.
He had not expected Hisashi Mitsui to choose extra training when he was this exhausted.
"Hey, Mitsui! Not taking a break even after playing a game today?"
Ryota Kudo took a sports drink from his backpack and tossed it to Hisashi Mitsui, giving him a friendly smile.
Without standing on ceremony, Hisashi Mitsui caught the drink and tried to open the bottle with trembling hands.
But Hisashi Mitsui was so drained that he could not even open a drink bottle.
Hisashi Mitsui tried several times without success, muttering to himself in frustration.
"Damn it! Just open already!"
Seeing Hisashi Mitsui's sorry state, Ryota Kudo did not laugh at him. Instead, he opened another bottle and handed it over.
"Recovery takes time, Mitsui. You don't need to rush so much. Everything has to be taken step by step."
Hisashi Mitsui took the opened drink and gulped down half the bottle before he felt a little better.
With only the two of them in the gym, and having felt Ryota Kudo's goodwill, Hisashi Mitsui sat on the floor and gave a helpless, bitter smile.
"I'm not like you, Kudo. I've already wasted over two years of my youth. If I don't work hard now, I won't get another chance."
Indeed, like Takenori Akagi, Hisashi Mitsui was already a third-year high school student. This was his last chance to conquer the nation.
Sitting down beside Hisashi Mitsui, Ryota Kudo said confidently, "It's all right, Mitsui. We'll definitely conquer the nation this year.
"Please believe in us. Until you've recovered, we'll hold the line. We won't lose!"
"Thanks, Kudo. I'm really glad you guys joined us this year..."
Ryota Kudo really could not handle seeing his idol, Flame Man-Hisashi Mitsui-looking so moved. He immediately stood up.
"Let's keep training, Mitsui. I'll stay with you until the end today."
The utterly exhausted Hisashi Mitsui tried to stand, but his legs buckled, and he failed to get up.
Just then, a hand appeared in front of Hisashi Mitsui. Taking Ryota Kudo's hand, he stood up again.
That day, Ryota Kudo and Hisashi Mitsui trained together until very late. They even returned to the gym to continue training after going out for dinner.
Ryota Kudo discovered that although Hisashi Mitsui had declined overall, his awareness when moving off the ball was still top-class.
His own passing was precise. If he could develop a tacit understanding with Hisashi Mitsui, that would definitely be a lethal weapon.
Ryota Kudo understood his own ability. At the high school level in the Slam Dunk world, he basically had no opponents who could match him.
But he was not so overwhelmingly strong that he could play one against five.
He had only obtained Ryota Kise's template. He had not actually become that "monster," Ryota Kise.
Moreover, although Ryota Kudo's Perfect Copy could indeed make him the most well-rounded player, without the fantastical skills from Kuroko's Basketball, his ability would not exceed normal human limits.
Having transmigrated into the Slam Dunk world, Ryota Kudo could not possibly set his sights only on high school games.
After all, Japanese basketball in 1993 was not strong at all. Against China, Asia's dominant team, it was often beaten without any ability to fight back.
Not to mention the monsters in the NBA across the ocean. That beast, O'Neal, had just entered the NBA as the first overall draft pick.
So Ryota Kudo still had plenty of room to grow stronger. He did not dare relax for even a moment.
Before you continue