"Stop talking nonsense, Mikio Kawata! Go eat your chips." Captain Kazunari Fukatsu hurriedly stopped Mikio Kawata from saying anything more, his face stern.
Then Kazunari Fukatsu apologized sincerely to Ryota Kudo.
"I'm sorry, Kudo. Mikio Kawata didn't mean to look down on your teammates. He's just simple-minded. He meant no harm."
Having someone bad-mouth his teammates to his face left Ryota Kudo looking grim, even if Mikio Kawata had meant no harm. He said coldly,
"It's all right, Fukatsu. But my teammates aren't weak at all. We'll see you at the National Tournament!"
The previously friendly atmosphere immediately grew tense. Even Eiji Sawakita, who had exceptional mental composure, felt uncomfortable.
Glancing at the Ryonan Team sitting nearby, Eiji Sawakita stood up.
"Captain, Kudo and I are going to catch up with some friends. Please excuse us."
Only after Ryota Kudo and Eiji Sawakita left did the atmosphere around Sannoh ease.
Masashi Kawata knocked his younger brother Mikio Kawata on the head in displeasure. "Are you an idiot? Who tells someone to his face that his teammates are no good?
"Even if Sannoh is the strongest team in the country, we still have to stay humble in front of other people. Understand?
"And don't underestimate any opponent. Both of Shohoku's inside players are pretty good. If you don't lose that flab, watch out, or Shohoku will destroy you."
Mikio Kawata rubbed his head in confusion. "I still don't think Shohoku's inside players are strong. Besides, I've still got you, my big brother."
"You little...! Then what happens after I graduate next year? You need to learn to grow up, understand?"
In the second half of Shohoku's game against Tsukubu, Ryota Kudo really did stay off the court the entire time. He sat in the stands, chatting with Eiji Sawakita and Akira Sendoh.
Even without Ryota Kudo, Shohoku dominated Tsukubu throughout the game.
The final score was 142-52. Shohoku had beaten its opponent by a huge margin once again.
In this Kanagawa Prefecture tournament, Shohoku High School had gone from strength to strength, crushing its opponents by huge margins in every game.
The players from Shoyo, their next opponent, left with grave expressions. They needed to work out tactics for facing Shohoku.
Surely Shoyo would not underestimate Shohoku this time, and Kenji Fujima probably would not pull anything like sitting on the sidelines as coach first, then only taking the court in the second half after realizing something was wrong.
They had ultimately lost to Shohoku by a mere two points. Shohoku High School, which had reached the final sixteen in last year's National Tournament, had failed to make even the final four in Kanagawa Prefecture.
This year's Shohoku did not want to beat Shoyo that way. Ryota Kudo wanted to defeat a full-strength Shoyo team giving its all.
After leaving the basketball arena, Ryota Kudo had intended to treat the Sannoh players to a meal. They had come all the way from distant Akita Prefecture, after all.
But Kazunari Fukatsu politely declined. His reason was that Sannoh had to begin intensive training as soon as they returned. The Akita Prefecture tournament was also underway, and Sannoh would soon start playing.
With no other option, Ryota Kudo planned to see the Sannoh players off at the train station before heading back to practice.
They had not gone far when the people from Kainan Affiliated High School approached from the opposite direction. Naturally, the middle-aged-looking Shinichi Maki was in the lead.
Kainan and Sannoh were old rivals, too. In last year's National Tournament semifinals, Sannoh had knocked Kainan out, beating them by over thirty points.
Shinichi Maki walked over to greet Kazunari Fukatsu. "Long time no see, Fukatsu. I didn't expect you guys to come watch other teams play."
"We only came along with Eiji Sawakita to see a friend. With our strength, Sannoh doesn't need to study any opponent." Kazunari Fukatsu maintained Sannoh's lofty attitude.
The conversation between Shinichi Maki and Kazunari Fukatsu had been fairly cordial when a "wild monkey" suddenly jumped in front of the Sannoh players.
"With a genius like me, Nobunaga Kiyota, here, Kainan will definitely beat Sannoh this year!"
Only someone with Nobunaga Kiyota's impulsive personality would do something like this. By the time Shinichi Maki tried to stop him, it was already too late.
The Sannoh players' expressions had already turned ugly. Against a newcomer like Nobunaga Kiyota, the team's starters would naturally feel embarrassed to step forward and pick on him.
A somewhat scrawny boy, only around 170 centimeters tall, stepped forward.
"Kid, don't talk so big. If you really have what it takes, let your basketball do the talking.
"I won't pick on you for being a newcomer. How about this? I'll give you ten possessions on offense. Make just one basket, and you win. What do you say?"
Shinichi Maki really wanted to stop this strange one-on-one match, because he knew Nobunaga Kiyota could not win.
But to teach the arrogant Nobunaga Kiyota that there was always someone better, and to let Sannoh vent their anger, Shinichi Maki ultimately said nothing.
Nobunaga Kiyota, on the other hand, thought his opponent was looking down on him after hearing those words, and kept shouting.
"You think you can stop a genius like me from scoring on all ten possessions? Just watch me score every single one!"
Word that Kainan and Sannoh were going to play a one-on-one match quickly spread, bringing the various Kanagawa teams that had been about to leave back again.
At a nearby outdoor basketball court, Nobunaga Kiyota stood outside the three-point line with the basketball in his hands, looking utterly arrogant.
The Sannoh player preparing to defend took off his jacket, revealing the number 8 Sannoh jersey underneath.
He was Sannoh Industrial High School's defensive specialist, Satoshi Ichinokura, a player who devoted all his energy to defense and possessed frightening stamina and mental fortitude.
The moment the one-on-one began, the previously unassuming Satoshi Ichinokura's presence changed. He instantly rushed up to Nobunaga Kiyota and began hounding him on defense.
Nobunaga Kiyota was immediately stunned. Forget driving past him-he was struggling even to keep control of the ball.
Satoshi Ichinokura clearly was not very strong, but he spared no effort in constantly putting physical pressure on Nobunaga Kiyota.
"Damn it!" Under that defensive pressure, Nobunaga Kiyota soon found himself barely able to hold on to the ball. He could only force a drive toward the paint.
But the next second, the basketball flew out of Nobunaga Kiyota's hands. Satoshi Ichinokura had stolen it from a very subtle angle.
"Keep going. Nine possessions left." Satoshi Ichinokura tossed the ball to Nobunaga Kiyota, his eyes fixed firmly on the opponent in front of him.
Gritting his teeth, Nobunaga Kiyota refused to accept it and attacked again.
But against Satoshi Ichinokura's defense, Nobunaga Kiyota could not even get past the free-throw line.
For five straight possessions, Nobunaga Kiyota failed without even getting a single shot off.
Spectators crowded around the basketball court, all discussing the matchup between Satoshi Ichinokura and Nobunaga Kiyota.
Those who did not know Satoshi Ichinokura or Nobunaga Kiyota all thought this wild monkey hopping around was simply terrible. He had not managed even one shot so far. If they went out there instead, they definitely would not perform like that.
Those who knew about Satoshi Ichinokura did not think that way. This was Sannoh Industrial High School's renowned defensive ace.
Never mind Nobunaga Kiyota-even the star players of the various teams were deeply wary of Satoshi Ichinokura's defense.
After five possessions, Nobunaga Kiyota stood there panting heavily. In just that short time, he was already exhausted. Satoshi Ichinokura had drained far too much of his stamina.
By contrast, Satoshi Ichinokura stood there without the slightest irregularity in his breathing. If not for the beads of sweat continually forming on his forehead, Nobunaga Kiyota would have suspected that his opponent was a machine that never tired.
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