Takenori Akagi had barely established his position when Ryota Kudo passed the ball into his hands.
With the ball in his hands, Takenori Akagi gathered all his strength and rammed his back hard into Koichiro Nango.
The collision of muscle against muscle was so loud that even the spectators in the stands could hear it.
Koichiro Nango grimaced in pain. He had no idea what had gotten into the gorilla guarding him, who kept hammering into him as though they had a grudge.
A trace of fear crept into his heart, and Koichiro Nango unconsciously took a step back.
That sliver of space was all Takenori Akagi needed to turn and finish with a gorilla dunk.
Hanging from the rim, Takenori Akagi let loose a rare bit of trash talk. "Kid, you've still got a long way to go!"
Startled by Takenori Akagi's thunderous expression, Koichiro Nango froze for several seconds before running toward the Shohoku Team's half.
As he ran, Koichiro Nango grumbled, "What's wrong with that gorilla? I've never done anything to him, so why does he keep glaring at me?"
As he passed Ryota Kudo, Kudo gave him a peculiar look and said, "Actually, that gorilla's name is Takenori Akagi. He's the brother of that Haruko Akagi you were talking about. Her biological brother."
"What?" That shook Koichiro Nango a little. He looked back and forth between Takenori Akagi and Haruko Akagi in the stands.
No matter how he looked at her, the sweet, innocent Haruko Akagi bore no resemblance whatsoever to Takenori Akagi. He simply couldn't believe it.
By contrast, one of Haruko Akagi's close friends standing beside her had dark skin and thick lips. She looked a little like Takenori Akagi.
"You're kidding, pretty boy. How could the lovely Miss Haruko possibly be that gorilla's sister? His sister must be that girl over there."
As he spoke, Koichiro Nango pointed at the dark-skinned Matsui standing beside Haruko Akagi.
Matsui stood stunned in the stands. Somewhat speechless, she looked at Haruko Akagi and said, "I don't know why that blond guy says I look like Akagi, but I get the feeling he's saying something offensive about me..."
After that farce, the game continued. Koichiro Nango steeled himself and headed into the paint, feeling unbearably awkward as he stood in front of Takenori Akagi.
Especially when Takenori Akagi, his face still dark, said into his ear, "Well, I'm so sorry that I happen to be Haruko Akagi's brother, kid!
"Remember this: stay away from Haruko, or I'll crush your skull!"
Takenori Akagi wasn't joking. He absolutely doted on his little sister, and if anyone dared offend her, he would make them pay.
While Takenori Akagi and Koichiro Nango were still talking, Tomokazu Godai actually sank another three-pointer.
Watching the confident Tomokazu Godai, he really did seem to play like a star, and his three-point shooting was uncannily accurate.
"Damn it! I'm stopping the next one." Hisashi Mitsui clenched his fists in anger. He had actually allowed his opponent to hit two consecutive three-pointers, something he found unforgivable.
Although Mitsui's athleticism had declined, his defensive awareness was still excellent, and his defense was far from weak.
After returning to the Shohoku Basketball Team, Hisashi Mitsui had even managed to shut Kaede Rukawa down completely, proving that no MVP was a fraud.
One reason he couldn't stop Tomokazu Godai was that Godai's fundamentals were so solid. He hardly needed to adjust after catching the ball before shooting, and his release was extremely quick.
The other reason was that Tomokazu Godai's baskets hadn't come from attacking off the dribble, but from catching and shooting after moving without the ball. That kind of shooter was even harder to defend.
In a rare occurrence, Shohoku Team had actually fallen behind at the start despite having Ryota Kudo on the court.
Everyone in the stands was talking, wondering whether Shohoku Team might suffer an unexpected upset.
Only one person looked completely calm: Akira Sendoh, who knew Ryota Kudo best. He knew that Kudo had yet to truly exert himself.
At Basketball Park in Tokyo, whenever they struggled to break through against those adults, Ryota Kudo had always stepped up and torn apart the opposing defense with his frenzied offense.
Sure enough, Ryota Kudo's expression changed this time. His earlier calm was gone, replaced by something beastlike.
Standing in front of Ryota Kudo, Hiroshi Natsume couldn't stop trembling. Forget defending him-Natsume could barely even stand there.
Like a bolt of golden lightning, Ryota Kudo vanished from his spot in an instant.
When he appeared again, Ryota Kudo had already taken a jump shot near the center line, and the ball swished through the net.
On Tsukubu High School's possession, Ryota Kudo deliberately left a meter of space between himself and Hiroshi Natsume, ready to help Hisashi Mitsui on defense at any moment.
Tomokazu Godai ran himself a little space and received the pass. Just as he prepared to shoot, he felt as though a beast had locked onto him.
Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ryota Kudo racing toward him, seemingly ready to leap up and swat his shot away.
His arms weakened a little from the fright, slowing Tomokazu Godai's release and costing him his best chance to shoot.
He glanced at point guard Hiroshi Natsume. With Ryota Kudo choosing to help on defense, Natsume had been left open, so Tomokazu Godai immediately sent a high lob toward him.
The pass traveled over Ryota Kudo's head, and then something astonishing happened. Kudo abruptly stopped running, bent his knees, and sprang into the air.
Ryota Kudo intercepted the airborne basketball more than three meters above the floor, a truly stunning sight on a high school court.
Having intercepted the ball in midair, Ryota Kudo wasted no time resetting. He quickly turned and launched a fast break.
The cheers around the court excited Ryota Kudo even more, and he burst forward even faster than before.
Apart from Koichiro Nango, Tsukubu High School's players were all physically unremarkable. In an instant, Ryota Kudo had left them far behind.
Pulling two body lengths clear of the defenders, Ryota Kudo scored another two points with a tomahawk dunk.
"Is he a monster...?" Gasps rose from Tsukubu High School's bench. The players had lost all their fighting spirit and stared fearfully at Ryota Kudo hanging from the rim.
"Tsukubu High School requests a timeout!" Coach Kazumi Kawasaki called a timely timeout, interrupting Ryota Kudo's unstoppable offensive surge.
The Shohoku High School players in the stands looked grim as well. Barring any surprises, they would be Shohoku High School's next opponents.
If they couldn't find an answer to the dominant Ryota Kudo, Shoyo's defense would be riddled with holes just like Tsukubu High School's today.
At Tsukubu High School's bench, Tomokazu Godai calmly drank some water. He had reacted the least of all the players and was the only one who could maintain his burning fighting spirit.
Ever since middle school, Tomokazu Godai had been a player with very little talent. His middle school coach had even told him that he wasn't suited to basketball.
Tomokazu Godai had seen those basketball prodigies who could soar through the air. Even his middle school teammate Takenori Akagi had towering height and terrifying strength.
But so what? I've worked hard to reach this level, and I've already beaten plenty of prodigies.
So what if Ryota Kudo is a prodigy? I can beat him too. The final victory will definitely belong to Tsukubu High School!
During that timeout, a group of tall figures entered the Gymnasium, their presence utterly intimidating.
They drew everyone's attention the moment they appeared, including Shohoku High School and Tsukubu High School, who were playing on the court.
Because written on the school uniforms they wore were the words: Sannoh Industrial High School!
Before you continue