Smack! Ryota Kudo once again pinned Michael Okita's shot against the backboard, stopping his attack.
Grabbing the basketball, Ryota Kudo walked straight beyond the three-point line. It was his turn on offense.
By now, Michael Okita looked thoroughly upset. After being thwarted by Ryota Kudo yet again, his face had flushed the color of raw liver.
There was no time left for Michael Okita to think. Ryota Kudo had already charged forward with the ball.
Without any attempt to evade him, Ryota Kudo skillfully drove a shoulder into Michael Okita's chest, immediately knocking him a step backward.
Then Ryota Kudo faked a shot. Sure enough, Michael Okita fell for it, rushing forward and jumping with all his might to block him.
The next second, Ryota Kudo had already blown past him. Bang! With a one-handed slam, Ryota Kudo scored the first point.
The most shocked person was not Michael Okita on the court, but Ryota Miyagi on the sidelines. In some disbelief, he asked Hisashi Mitsui beside him.
"Mitchy, didn't you think Kudo's drive just now was exactly like Shinichi Maki's? How... how is that possible?"
"Shut up! Don't call me Mitchy. Call me Mitsui, your senior, got it!
"But you're right, Miyagi. That really was Shinichi Maki's driving move. And I've been meaning to say this for a while: don't you think Kudo's three-point shooting motion looks way too much like mine?"
The more Hisashi Mitsui and Ryota Miyagi thought about it, the more they felt Ryota Kudo was an absolute freak.
On the court, Ryota Kudo was very pleased with that drive. Shinichi Maki's driving technique really was useful.
[Emperor Maki: Shinichi Maki's exclusive driving technique, which skillfully uses the body to get past defenders. (More effective with a strong body.)]
Shinichi Maki's driving technique relied not merely on absolute physical strength, but on his ability to accelerate from zero to MAX and his core strength.
Those happened to be Ryota Kudo's strengths, and even Michael Okita, who was no slouch in those areas himself, lagged far behind him.
Using Shinichi Maki's driving technique for the first time, Ryota Kudo found it a little addictive. He used "Emperor Maki" to score five baskets against Michael Okita.
Of course, he did not simply use Shinichi Maki's drives alone, but combined them with other players' powerful techniques.
For example, Shinichi Maki's drive plus Kaede Rukawa's finish, Shinichi Maki's drive plus Akira Sendoh's fake, and so on.
He constantly changed his playing style, leaving Michael Okita completely bewildered.
Shut out 5-0, Michael Okita had lost all desire to fight back. He was not even interested in the "pretty girl," Matsui, anymore, and left Shohoku's basketball gym without looking back.
Eri Fujisawa alone was left standing there awkwardly. After saying goodbye to Coach Anzai, she hurried away.
Before leaving, Eri Fujisawa gave Ryota Kudo a look filled with possessiveness.
The more basketball ability Ryota Kudo displayed, the more Eri Fujisawa wanted to poach him for Ryokufu High School.
Outside Shohoku High School, a gray Toyota was parked nearby. Eri Fujisawa angrily pulled open the door and got in.
Michael Okita had already been waiting in the car for some time. Looking at Eri Fujisawa with some fear, he explained.
"Hear me out. I'm just not that good at one-on-one. Once we're playing a real game, I'll definitely be able to handle him."
Eri Fujisawa looked at Michael Okita with a complicated expression. Honestly, she was now somewhat disappointed in this Japanese-American boy she had originally placed such high hopes in.
Still, this only further proved that Ryota Kudo was the best choice to be Ryokufu High School's centerpiece.
As a competent businesswoman, Eri Fujisawa very wisely chose to spare Michael Okita's feelings.
"It's all right, Michael. I believe in your ability.
"Besides, that Ryota Kudo will be your teammate next year. He'll definitely join Ryonan this year."
"Really?!" Michael Okita's eyes lit up. Although he had talked tough earlier, deep down, he was still very afraid of Ryota Kudo.
If Ryota Kudo could go from a frightening opponent to his teammate, Michael Okita would gladly accept that.
"All right, that Ryota Kudo is pretty decent, I guess. I'll accept him as a teammate, reluctantly."
In Michael Okita's eyes, a genius like himself was Ryonan's undisputed centerpiece.
This Ryota Kudo would definitely be transferring to support him. He was the true chosen one.
Leaving aside Eri Fujisawa and Michael Okita's unrealistic fantasies, back in Shohoku's basketball gym, Ryota Kudo's face was also full of disappointment.
Naturally, Ryota Kudo had his own reasons for acting out of character and provoking Michael Okita earlier.
Judging by his appearance, Michael Okita stood 192 centimeters tall and weighed over 80 kilograms. His physical gifts looked outstanding.
Last night, Ryota Kudo had already reached the doorway to the ZONE in his dream. Naturally, he was eager to throw that door wide open.
But that required an opponent who could put enough pressure on him, so Ryota Kudo had set his sights on Michael Okita, who had traded strong performances with Kaede Rukawa in the original story.
Ryota Kudo had hoped that Michael Okita, who specialized in American-style basketball, would be formidable at one-on-one and put enough pressure on him to open the door to the ZONE.
Now it seemed he had expected too much. This Michael Okita was nowhere near that strong yet.
Soon, Wednesday afternoon arrived, and Shohoku High School's basketball team headed to Ryokufu High School under Coach Anzai's lead.
From the bus, the Shohoku players spotted an imposing school gate in the distance.
Unlike Shohoku High School's old, worn gate, the very construction of Ryokufu High School's gate proclaimed one word-luxury.
This was a private high school built at enormous expense. Its facilities were top-class not just in Kanagawa, but even across All Japan.
"Isn't this place way too fancy? It looks nicer than those luxury hotels. Is this really just a high school?"
Ryota Miyagi spoke with a hint of sourness. Compared with Ryokufu High School, Shohoku High School's buildings looked like a cramped cluster of dilapidated blocks.
The others did not know how to answer either. They were all just high school students. When had they ever seen such a luxurious private school campus?
When they reached Ryokufu High School's basketball gym, the Shohoku players grew even more envious.
It was not merely the difference in facilities such as the gym and equipment. Ryokufu High School's players had it far too good.
With a game scheduled for today, Ryonan's players were sitting to one side resting, while several staff members cleaned the basketball court.
In other words, Ryonan's players normally only needed to focus on basketball practice. They did not have to concern themselves with anything else.
That made the Shohoku players terribly envious. After all, Shohoku's basketball gym was maintained entirely by the basketball team.
The first-year newcomers in particular-even Ryota Kudo, Hanamichi Sakuragi, and Kaede Rukawa, who had made the starting lineup in their first year-had to share some of the work of cleaning the gym.
The Shohoku players' eyes were red with envy. Those damned capitalists!
Before you continue