In an instant, Ryota Kudo left Taku Ito behind. Accelerating again, he quickly charged inside Shoyo's three-point line.
But Shoyo was extremely quick to get back on defense, and three of their players were already in position. Aside from Toru Hanagata, who had just scored, the other three big men were eyeing Ryota Kudo like predators.
At that moment, none of the Shohoku Team's other players had made it down the court. Ryota Kudo was effectively facing three players over 190 centimeters tall on his own.
The most sensible choice now was undoubtedly to slow things down and wait for the rest of the Shohoku Team to arrive before looking for an opening.
But seeing how Shoyo's cheering squad had left his teammates somewhat dispirited, Ryota Kudo decided he had to score this basket.
Only by using his own performance to fire up the Shohoku players could he turn around their sluggish start.
Under the incredulous gazes of Shoyo's three defenders, Ryota Kudo fearlessly attacked the basket.
Against Kazushi Hasegawa's defense, Ryota Kudo forced his way into a jump on the left side of the basket, his hand supporting the hoop as he reached toward it.
"Not a chance!" All three Shoyo players jumped at once, trapping Ryota Kudo between them. This shot was doomed!
The players on the Shohoku Team's bench covered their eyes in fear, unable to bear watching Ryota Kudo get emphatically blocked.
But in midair, Ryota Kudo suddenly pulled his arm back, cradling the basketball against his chest.
Engaging his core, Ryota Kudo visibly hung in the air. Only after his body drifted from the left side of the basket to the right did he extend his long arm again and toss the ball toward the hoop.
At the same time, a hand struck Ryota Kudo's arm.
The basketball rolled around the rim three times before finally dropping through. Ryota Kudo had scored a double-clutch layup against three defenders.
At the same time, the referee's whistle sounded.
"Shoyo number six, foul on the arm! The basket counts, with one additional free throw!"
After scoring, Ryota Kudo excitedly pumped his arm. That simple celebration drew a collective wave of piercing boos from Shoyo's cheering squad.
This game clearly wasn't being played at Shoyo, but at a public gymnasium. Yet Shohoku was having as hard a time as if they were playing on the road.
Even Ryota Kudo, who had always maintained a good mindset, couldn't help frowning. He silently walked to the free-throw line for his extra shot.
Trying to challenge several hundred cheerleaders with a single voice at a time like this would be very unwise.
Doing so would accomplish nothing except wasting his energy and making himself angry.
Rather than waste his strength on that, he was better off continuing to give Shoyo a thorough lesson.
Shohoku's section of the stands was rather quiet at that moment. These were ordinary students hastily recruited from Shohoku High School. They had never seen anything like this and certainly couldn't compare with Shoyo's professionally trained cheering squad.
It was Haruko Akagi in the stands who bravely called out first. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted toward the court.
"Go, Ryota Kudo! That last basket was so cool!"
Prompted by Haruko Akagi's voice, Shohoku High School's cheering squad also began cheering for the Shohoku Team, one after another.
The loudest among them were Kaede Rukawa's fan club, Hisashi Mitsui's young male fans, and the Sakuragi Gang. They all shouted with everything they had, managing to win back some of the atmosphere.
During free throws, the offensive team would have two players standing in the opposing half, ready to fight for the rebound.
Naturally, Takenori Akagi and Hanamichi Sakuragi occupied those spots for Shohoku. Ryota Kudo had just received the basketball from the referee and hadn't started his free throw when he sensed a murderous aura.
Looking in its direction, he discovered that it was actually coming from Hanamichi Sakuragi. He had no idea what had gotten into him to make him look at him like that.
Ignoring the Problem Children, Ryota Kudo steadied himself and calmly sank the free throw.
As they ran back on defense, Hanamichi Sakuragi suddenly sped up alongside Ryota Kudo and asked pitifully.
"Kudo, you're not going to fight me over Haruko like that Stinky Fox too, are you?"
They were in the middle of a basketball game, yet Hanamichi Sakuragi was actually thinking about things like this. Ryota Kudo sighed helplessly, but still decided to explain things clearly.
"I don't have those kinds of feelings for Haruko. Sakuragi, you should focus on the game.
"If you can become the best power forward in all Japan, Haruko might see you in a whole new light."
"Kudo, is that true? Will Haruko really get used to me? Hahahaha... Isn't it just becoming the best power forward in all Japan? That's a piece of cake for a genius like me!"
The simple-minded Hanamichi Sakuragi was easily taken in by Ryota Kudo, and his fighting spirit immediately soared.
Shoyo excelled at half-court offense, waiting for their inside players to establish position before launching an attack.
As the team's primary scorer, Toru Hanagata received the ball again.
Just as Hanagata was about to take Takenori Akagi one-on-one again, Hanamichi Sakuragi suddenly appeared in front of him.
Then Sakuragi began frantically thrusting his hands out in front of him to disrupt him. His hands moved so fast that they seemed to form a wall of afterimages in front of Toru Hanagata, leaving him no angle to shoot.
Facing such frightening defense for the first time, an uncertain Toru Hanagata passed the ball to the open power forward, Shoichi Takano.
Shoichi Takano also had a decent midrange shot. After receiving the ball, he prepared to line up a jumper.
With no defender within a meter of him, Shoichi Takano had plenty of time to aim.
But a second later, Hanamichi Sakuragi came charging in from a distance, leaping high to try to block Shoichi Takano's shot.
Nervousness spoiled Shoichi Takano's shooting form. The moment the ball left his hands, he shouted, "Rebound!"
Inside, Takenori Akagi and Toru Hanagata began fiercely battling for position, both trying to secure a better chance at the rebound.
Boxing out was crucial to rebounding. With good positioning technique, even a smaller player could snatch a rebound from a center.
The basketball struck the edge of the rim and bounced away. Sure enough, the shot missed.
Unfortunately, the ball flew straight above Toru Hanagata's head. This rebound was his. A cold glint flashed across his glasses.
Firmly holding off Takenori Akagi, who was still fighting for rebounding position, Toru Hanagata jumped straight up as the ball descended, ready to secure the rebound.
Just then, an arrogant voice rang out beside Toru Hanagata's ear.
"I'm Rebound King Hanamichi Sakuragi!"
At some point, Sakuragi had already rushed to Toru Hanagata's side. Jumping higher, he snatched the rebound from the side.
Watching from the perimeter, Ryota Kudo was almost dumbfounded. He had thought his own jumping ability was already excellent, but Hanamichi Sakuragi's explosive leap was even more terrifying. On that rebound, he had definitely jumped more than 120 centimeters.
That kind of athletic talent was rare even in the NBA. Hanamichi Sakuragi truly lived up to being the chosen one of Slam Dunk World.
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