Kaede Rukawa, who had stood rooted to the spot for a long time, finally came to his senses. He had gained a rough idea of Ryota Kudo's style of play.
Once he became familiar with it, stopping him would not be entirely impossible. Kaede Rukawa's expression returned to its icy, unapproachable state.
Kaede Rukawa could not be bothered with Hanamichi Sakuragi, who kept shouting beside him. He strode toward the gym's exit and muttered something as he passed Hanamichi Sakuragi.
"Moron!"
As they watched Kaede Rukawa leave the gym, the others were not particularly worried. They felt he would not be crushed so easily.
The most worried person was actually Haruko Akagi, who stood in a corner with her hands clasped together, murmuring anxiously to herself, "Are you okay, Kaede Rukawa...?"
Speaking of Haruko Akagi, his childhood dream girl, Ryota Kudo had of course noticed her long ago and had taken several looks at her.
How should he put it? Like Ayako Inoue, Haruko Akagi was certainly a very pretty girl, but overall, she was considerably less attractive than she appeared in the anime Slam Dunk.
Ryota Kudo figured it was a case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder. The classic anime was shot from Hanamichi Sakuragi's perspective, so naturally, Haruko Akagi, the girl he liked, had been automatically beautified.
Meanwhile, the movie Slam Dunk: The Final Battle was shot from the perspective of point guard Ryota Miyagi, so Haruko Akagi looked somewhat ordinary in it, while Ayako Inoue became exceptionally beautiful.
But none of that mattered. They were both dream girls in the world of Slam Dunk, and they already had romantic pairings. It was actually a good thing that Ryota Kudo had no designs on them.
Everyone had left, and Ryota Kudo continued his regular training. He completed every item in his plan without cutting any corners, including conditioning, dribbling, shooting, and so on.
The entire session took an hour and a half. By the time Ryota Kudo walked out of Shohoku High School, it was already seven in the evening.
Taking out his pager, Ryota Kudo found Akira Sendoh's number and sent him a message. (Mobile phones were not yet widespread in Japan in 1993, and most wealthy people used pagers.)
[Sendoh-chan, I'm going to Ryonan with the Shohoku basketball team for a friendly the day after tomorrow. How about treating me to dinner?]
A few minutes later, Akira Sendoh's reply arrived.
[Of course, Ryota. Let's meet at Uozumi's family restaurant that evening. Be there!]
Both had come from the Tokyo area, and both Ryota Kudo and Akira Sendoh had pleasant personalities, so they were naturally very good friends.
At that moment, Akira Sendoh was sitting by the sea fishing. After replying to Ryota Kudo's message, he immediately packed up his fishing gear and prepared to leave.
But rather than heading home, he went toward Ryonan High School's basketball gym. He planned to get some extra practice in there.
This was extremely rare for the easygoing Akira Sendoh. Clearly, even though the friendly had yet to begin, he was already taking it seriously.
Because Ryota Kudo was an opponent he acknowledged, Akira Sendoh had always had a dream: to beat Ryota Kudo, even if only once.
On his way home, Ryota Kudo passed a small alley, from which repeated angry curses and pleas for mercy rang out.
This was very common among Japanese high school students-just bullying by delinquents.
Ryota Kudo could not help turning to glance into the alley, and there he spotted a familiar figure.
With his slender build and flowing long hair, the person was clearly Hisashi Mitsui, who had already become a delinquent.
Hisashi Mitsui's face was twisted with viciousness as he repeatedly beat two students kneeling on the ground.
There was no trace left of his former glory as a middle school MVP. Hisashi Mitsui had become a full-fledged gang leader.
With a helpless smile, Ryota Kudo refrained from foolishly walking into the alley.
He did not believe he could talk Hisashi Mitsui into changing his mind. The only person who could save Hisashi Mitsui was Coach Anzai.
There was no rushing this. Hisashi Mitsui would return to the Shohoku basketball team sooner or later.
Before long, it was the following evening, and the Shohoku basketball team's practice had ended for the day.
As before, Ryota Kudo chose to stay for extra practice.
But today, he was not alone. Hanamichi Sakuragi insisted on staying to practice with him. This was how Sakuragi put it.
"As long as a genius like me puts in just a little effort, I'll definitely surpass that stinking fox in no time."
As it turned out, during that day's practice, Hanamichi Sakuragi, still a beginner, had made a complete fool of himself-and right in front of his dream girl, Haruko Akagi.
That was why Hanamichi Sakuragi had shamelessly stayed behind. He claimed he was keeping Ryota Kudo company during practice, but he actually wanted some guidance from him.
Ryota Kudo naturally welcomed Hanamichi Sakuragi's desire to put in extra practice. He planned to start Sakuragi's special training after completing his own conditioning for the day.
Meanwhile, a small, skinny student walked through the entrance of Shohoku High School, carrying a camera.
He was Hikoichi Aida, the manager of Ryonan High School's basketball team, a fellow skilled at gathering and analyzing information.
He also had an older sister, Yayoi Aida, who was a sports reporter-a truly beautiful and very charming woman.
As he made his way toward Shohoku's basketball gym, Hikoichi Aida muttered to himself, "Shohoku High School is way too strong this year. Not only do they have the super rookie Kaede Rukawa, but they also have a monster like Ryota Kudo. I've got to get a good look."
At Ryonan's practice that day, Akira Sendoh had not only attended the entire session but had also taken it extremely seriously, astonishing everyone, including Coach Moichi Taoka.
Akira Sendoh had made no secret of why he was so serious, either. Shohoku High School, their opponent in tomorrow's friendly, had someone he had never beaten-Ryota Kudo!
Coach Moichi Taoka had, of course, tried to recruit Ryota Kudo, but Ryota Kudo had turned him down, saying he wanted to choose a high school close to home.
Moichi Taoka had originally thought Ryota Kudo would join a team in Tokyo. He had never expected him to follow Hisashi Mitsui, Ryota Miyagi, and Kaede Rukawa to Shohoku High School instead.
Of course, Ryota Kudo had not exactly lied to Moichi Taoka, since he had bought a small building near Shohoku High School...
Hikoichi Aida reached the entrance of Shohoku's basketball gym. The moment he pushed the door open, he witnessed an astonishing sight.
A red-haired boy leaped high into the air, caught a teammate's pass with one hand, and slammed it through the hoop.
Most terrifying of all was the height of the red-haired boy's leap. His head was already level with the rim.
Hikoichi Aida swallowed in fear and thought to himself.
Who is this monster? Is he Ryota Kudo or Kaede Rukawa...?
After completing the dunk, Hanamichi Sakuragi proudly planted his hands on his hips and burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! I really am a genius! Kudo, you've got to pass to me more tomorrow. Forget that stinking fox. Just trust this genius!"
Ryota Kudo merely smiled and nodded. Of course, he had not promised Hanamichi Sakuragi anything. Once they were on the court, he would naturally pass to whoever had the better opportunity.
Just then, Ryota Kudo noticed the small, skinny boy standing by the entrance and asked curiously.
"Hello. What brings you to the Shohoku basketball team?"
Before you continue