In Shohoku's intrasquad scrimmage the next day, Ryota Kudo, Hisashi Mitsui, and Hanamichi Sakuragi teamed up with two substitutes, while Ryota Miyagi, Kaede Rukawa, Kiminobu Kogure, and Takenori Akagi took one substitute.
The two sides played a twenty-minute scrimmage, with Coach Anzai sitting to one side to watch and offer guidance.
Everyone had thought it would be an evenly matched game. If anything, Takenori Akagi's side had the more balanced lineup.
But once the game began, Ryota Kudo and Hisashi Mitsui showed them what a rain of threes really looked like.
Ryota Kudo's newly acquired three-point shooting ability had been copied from Hisashi Mitsui, so he knew exactly how Mitsui liked to shoot and which spots gave him the best accuracy.
Ryota Kudo even knew Hisashi Mitsui's movement habits like the back of his hand.
He did not even need to keep his attention on Hisashi Mitsui. The instant Mitsui found the slightest opening, Kudo's pass arrived.
In ten minutes, Hisashi Mitsui sank ten three-pointers, racking up thirty points.
Once he had shot himself into a rhythm, Hisashi Mitsui was unstoppable. Even when Kaede Rukawa had a hand right in his face and he could not see the basket, Mitsui's threes still swished through the net.
Coach Anzai's eyes were already shining as he sat courtside. High school players generally focused on playing one-on-one, placing less emphasis on passing and teamwork.
The coordination between Ryota Kudo and Hisashi Mitsui could already be called a class of its own among high school players nationwide. Even Hakata Shodai, renowned for its teamwork, might not have been better than them.
When the twenty-minute game ended, Ryota Kudo's side had defeated Takenori Akagi's team 63-52.
Hisashi Mitsui sat on the floor, panting, his face full of excitement. Though he was nearly exhausted to the point of collapse, he was incredibly happy. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed playing basketball this much.
Coach Anzai came over. He first consoled the defeated players on Takenori Akagi's side, then walked over to Ryota Kudo and Hisashi Mitsui.
"You played wonderfully today, Mitsui. Keep it up. I believe Shohoku will go far this year."
Only then did Coach Anzai turn to Ryota Kudo. His expression was somewhat complicated as he looked at him. After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke.
"An outstanding performance, Kudo... I believe your future holds limitless potential.
Keep going, for basketball, and for yourself."
After saying that, Coach Anzai turned and quietly left. He was old now and no longer had the ambition he once had to develop Japan's best basketball player.
Or rather, Coach Anzai had begun to doubt his own coaching ability. He felt that if he forced his involvement, he might instead hinder the development of a genius like Ryota Kudo.
Ryota Kudo was naturally full of confidence about his future, but he certainly would not join Japan's national team and toil away for those Japanese bastards.
Competing in the NBA and winning a few NBA championships was his dream.
Soon, Shohoku's second game began. This time, their opponent was Kakuno High School.
Ayako had gone to watch Kakuno High School's first game. The performance on the court could only be described as two terrible teams pecking at each other.
Kakuno High School was relatively weak. They had no superstar scorer, and their players were fairly even in ability.
The moment he stepped onto the court, Ryota Kudo sensed something was wrong. The opposing players actually gave off an air of fear.
Before play had even begun, Kakuno High School had already half given up. All they wanted was to muddle through until the forty-minute game ended.
But Ryota Kudo had no intention of going easy on them. His coordination with Hisashi Mitsui was still in the experimental stage, and Kakuno High School was just right for practice.
Forty minutes later, Kakuno High School's players looked ashen. When they heard the final whistle, they actually looked as though they had been saved.
The score of this game was just as outrageous: 173-19. This was no longer a game, but a one-sided slaughter.
After the game, everyone from Shohoku looked relaxed and cheerful. Only Hanamichi Sakuragi ran up to Ryota Kudo with a dissatisfied expression.
"Kudo! Why did you keep passing to Mitsy today? Why didn't you pass to this genius?
I can dunk the ball too! Did Mitsy bribe you before the game?"
What a headache this guy was. Ryota Kudo wondered whether, if he had not been holding Sakuragi back by the head, the guy would have flicked his chin the way he did Coach Anzai's.
Fortunately, Ryota Kudo did not have to explain much to Sakuragi. Takenori Akagi had already dragged Hanamichi Sakuragi away with one hand.
As they walked away, Takenori Akagi loudly lectured Hanamichi Sakuragi. "If you dare bother Kudo again, I'll bench you. Got it?
Mitsui had better opportunities and a higher shooting percentage. Kudo was right to pass to him."
Three days later, Shohoku High School's third game began. This time, their opponent was Takahata High School, a team of considerable strength.
The game officially started at nine in the morning. Ryota Kudo gave himself plenty of time, setting out at eight.
Accompanying him was Hisashi Mitsui, who had trained with him until late the previous night. They regularly trained together and worked well together on the court, so Ryota Kudo and Hisashi Mitsui were now very close. The two were in their "honeymoon phase."
They were going to meet the other members of the Shohoku Basketball Team at the train platform and head to the venue together.
They had not walked far when, while passing a row of narrow alleys, Ryota Kudo suddenly heard cursing and the sounds of a fight.
Clearly, some delinquents were fighting nearby. Ryota Kudo detested this sort of thing most of all. He quickened his pace, ready to leave. It was better not to get involved in these delinquents' affairs.
But after walking a few meters, Ryota Kudo realized that Hisashi Mitsui had not followed him. Instead, he had actually headed into the alley.
"Hey! Don't go looking for trouble, Mitsui. We've got a game this morning. It'll be a problem if we don't make it."
Hearing Ryota Kudo's warning, Hisashi Mitsui hesitated and stopped.
But it lasted only a few seconds. Hisashi Mitsui soon continued into the alley, calling loudly to Ryota Kudo.
"Kudo, go on ahead. With you there, we won't lose even if I'm late.
Sorry, but there's someone in there I have to save!"
Perhaps this was part of Hisashi Mitsui's charm. For friends he acknowledged, he would charge in without hesitation, even knowing there was danger.
Of course, Ryota Kudo could not obey Hisashi Mitsui's request to leave first. His personality was the same as Mitsui's: he would never stand by and watch a friend fall into danger.
Without any hesitation, Ryota Kudo turned and ran into the alley too.
What appeared before him was a gang of delinquents beating Hisashi Mitsui and a muscular man. Ryota Kudo recognized many people in the group.
Most of them had taken part in the previous rampage at Shohoku's basketball gym. These were actually Hisashi Mitsui's former underlings.
The burly man being surrounded and attacked was the delinquents' former leader, Tetsuo. For some unknown reason, a delinquent named A-Ryu had suddenly betrayed him and begun leading the attack on his former boss.
There was naturally no reasoning with delinquents. Ryota Kudo launched himself forward and kicked A-Ryu in the back, knocking him to the ground.
Ducking beneath an attack from a delinquent's iron bar, Ryota Kudo dropped him with a vicious punch.
Like a tiger among sheep, Ryota Kudo actually took down three delinquents in a single encounter.
Standing in front of Hisashi Mitsui and Tetsuo, Ryota Kudo teased Mitsui with a serious expression.
"Mitsui, your fighting skills are terrible. Looks like you haven't been much of a delinquent these past few years either."
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