Old Wang's imposing presence resonated throughout the county stadium.
Meanwhile, the various cheerleading squads belonging to the new king also gathered together.
Dozens of scantily clad girls surrounded a huge flag.
The banner bore the three large characters "Rukawa Mikoto" written in a flamboyant style.
They were well-trained, and following their leader's gestures, they chanted in unison. "Liukawa! Liukawa!"
watt--!"
The cheers were uniform and imposing, making them the most professional team in terms of atmosphere at Shohoku's home stadium.
Kaede Rukawa continued warming up with a blank expression, completely ignoring the thunderous cheers behind him.
Beside them stood a group of youthful and beautiful girls dressed in the uniforms of Takezono High School.
The flags they waved were particularly eye-catching.
It wasn't for Takezono, but for Kawamoto.
Three large, meticulously handcrafted flags bore the inscription in charming handwriting. " Nozomi Kawamoto - The Best!"
" Yuji Kawamoto, do your best!"
" Chuichiro Kawamoto ·Gensatsu!"
Each flag also has a large heart drawn next to it.
This is the result of the girls from Takezono fulfilling their promise to cheer for Kawamoto.
However, the people they were cheering for seemed to be somewhat different from the actual situation.
Below the flag, Nozomi Takamiya, Yuji Okusu, and Chuichiro Noma, wearing Shohoku Basketball Team jackets they'd somehow gotten their hands on, were surrounded by girls from Takezono.
" Nozomi Kawamoto."
A girl tugged at Takamiya and asked anxiously, "The competition is about to start, why aren't you three Kawamoto brothers warming up yet? We made the flag especially for you!"
"Yes, yes! Yuji Kawamoto- kun, Chuichiro Kawamoto- kun!"
The other girls also looked at Okusu and Noma.
Takamiya's face immediately contorted with a regretful yet profound expression, and he sighed heavily, "Alas! To be honest, ladies!"
Actually, we are not the Kawamoto brothers.
"Huh?" The girls were stunned.
"We are the Kawamoto brothers!"
Takamiya puffed out his chest, Okusu and Noma immediately stood up straight in response. "But if the three of us combine our strength, it's too overpowered, it's practically cheating, and it's too unfair to Kainan."
"So, after careful discussion among us brothers, we decided to send out our least capable and weakest little brother Kawamoto Kazuki, to play today. He's the one in red, number 15."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Okusu quickly chimed in, "That kid Kazuki still needs more experience. Let him get a feel for things in this small setting."
Noma, with a benevolent older brother's expression, said, "If he can't handle it, the three of us can then consider whether or not to intervene."
The girls from Takezono were stunned, though they felt something was off.
But looking at the three of them acting so seriously, and then at the red number 15 on the court who exuded an aura of pressure even during warm-up—
This is considered incompetent and the worst performer?
How terrifying would the three of them combined be?
However, the girls' requirements were very simple.
"Never mind! Your Kawamoto is going to win! You must defeat Kainan and avenge our Takezono!"
"Don't worry! We've got it covered—we've got it on Kazuki!"
Takamiya patted his chest and assured everyone that he had finally managed to get through this identity crisis.
At that moment, a commotion broke out at the entrance to the stands.
There, Noriyuki Hotta and several of Hisashi Mitsui's former delinquent friends were seen struggling to carry a huge banner with a burning flame and the three large characters "Flame Man" painted on it.
Beside him, Tatsuhiko Kiyota was also carrying a flag that proclaimed the Judo Club's national domination. Although the handwriting was crooked, it was genuine.
All members of the Shoyo High School basketball team, dressed in casual clothes, sat neatly at the back of the Shohoku camp.
Kenji Fujima silently watched the scene, Toru Hanagata, Kazushi Hasegawa, and others also wore complex expressions.
They didn't come to Kainan; they came to see Shohoku.
Or rather, they came to see how number 15, who had utterly defeated them, would challenge the king of Kanagawa.
The gaze of the defeated is often more focused and more somber than that of the bystanders.
They silently chose to cheer for Shohoku, perhaps hoping to find meaning in their defeat or to see what kind of monster had defeated them.
A corner seating area.
Kengo Murasame, along with Araki and other members of the Miuradai startup team, had already secured their spots early on.
They stared intently at Kawamoto, who was warming up on the field, their gazes reverent.
It was as if they weren't watching a basketball game, but rather a ray of light that might defy fate and change their bleak lives.
The flags in the stands were different, and the cheers were varied.
There is pure admiration, support from a blunder, brotherhood, the gaze of a loser, and gamblers who stake all their hopes on something else.
Most people's attention eventually focused on the center of the venue.
They all converged on that tall figure wearing a red number 15 jersey, quietly stretching.
Kawamoto Kazuki.
He was unaware of how many flags bearing strange names were waving for him, nor how many people had placed their hopes for the future on his shoulders.
He was just wondering what methods Kainan would use to stop him today.
Nine o'clock in the morning.
The epic battle between Shohoku and Kainan is about to begin.
As the Ryonan team arrived, whispers arose from the high stands, "Look, it's Ryonan! I heard they beat Ryonan Takezato 51 points a few days ago?"
"Really? That's the semi-finals!"
"It's true, Sendoh scored 30 points, Uozumi completely dominated the opposing center."
"It seems Ryonan is truly poised to rise to prominence this year----"
The murmurs, neither too loud nor too soft, drifted just into the ears of the Ryonan members.
Hiroaki Koshino couldn't help but smile, nudging the Uekusa beside him with his elbow. "Did you hear that? 51 points."
Uekusa nodded, his eyes shining even though he didn't speak.
Kiccho Fukuda snorted coldly, but slightly straightened his back.
Jun Uozumi Uozumi's smile betrayed his mood.
Coach Moichi Taoka listened to the surrounding discussions, his back ramrod straight.
Only Akira Sendoh yawned, his gaze lazily falling on the field.
51 points?
Oh, it seems like they won quite a lot.
Still basking in the afterglow of their resounding victory, the members of Ryonan listened to the audience's praise, and a touch of pride gently drifted in their hearts on the early summer breeze.
The atmosphere on the Shohoku bench was heavier than ever before.
Even with Kawamoto in charge, Kainan's oppressive power over the past seventeen years still instills lingering fear in people.
Anzai slowly scanned each face surrounding him.
All the team members, including Sakuragi, Kogure, Kakuta, and others sitting on the bench, straightened their backs.
"Starting lineup—" Anzai paused, then clearly uttered five names: " Miyagi, Rukawa, Mitsui, Akagi, Kawamoto."
The five people whose names were mentioned immediately sharpened their eyes.
" Kawamoto- kun."
"Yes, Coach."
You only have one task.
Anzai's voice was unequivocal. "Completely suppress Maki Shinichi Maki on both offense and defense."
Despite having a premonition, hearing the coach so clearly place all the cards on one person still sent shockwaves through everyone.
"On offense, I want you to destroy his defensive confidence. No matter how he defends you, use your favorite method to tear open the most crucial gap in Kainan's defense."
"On the defensive end, I need you to shut him down. His drives, his passes, his rhythm. You are our strongest perimeter player and our last line of defense. We can't let him easily lead the team, we can't let him execute Kainan's best offensive and defensive transitions."