Takenori Akagi braced both hands on his knees...
Kiminobu Kogure's face was pale...
Shiozaki's and Yasuda's gazes flickered...
Satoru Kakuta barely even dared to lift his head.
An air of despair was quietly spreading through the upperclassmen's half of the court.
In stark contrast, a burning fighting spirit was steadily rising in the substitutes' half.
Kawamoto Kazuki keenly sensed that his opponents were on the verge of an emotional collapse.
Rather than basking in the joy of scoring again and again, he quickly turned his attention to his teammates.
He saw the dejection on their center Sasaoka's face after Akagi had easily knocked him aside.
He saw Ishii working hard to defend Yasuda but looking somewhat short on confidence.
He saw Sakuragi scratching his head in frustration after being beaten so easily.
It was time.
He clapped his hands, not loudly, but instantly drew the attention of all his first-year teammates.
"Listen up!"
Kawamoto swept his gaze over every face, his delivery steady and forceful. "Sasaoka!"
Hearing his name, Sasaoka jerked his head up, a trace of self-reproach still on his face.
"You're matched up against Captain Akagi. You're under the most pressure out of anyone on our team!"
Kawamoto looked at him, his tone firm. "But you're doing well. You haven't given up your position easily. If you hadn't forced Akagi to power his way in and worn down his strength, I couldn't have blocked him at all."
"Keep that determination to battle him! Don't be afraid. Whenever there's a chance, I'll come over to help right away! Your job is to do everything you can to wear him down and disrupt him!"
Those few simple words flowed like warmth into Sasaoka's ice-cold heart.
He had thought he was a burden to the team, its biggest weakness, and had even begun to doubt whether he was cut out for basketball.
But Captain Kawamoto [in his mind, Kawamoto was now the captain of this makeshift team] hadn't blamed him at all. Instead, he had acknowledged his efforts and recognized his value!
The warmth of being trusted surged through his entire body.
Sasaoka straightened his back forcefully, the uncertainty in his eyes replaced by a determined flame. "Yes! Captain Kawamoto! I'll give it everything I've got!"
"Sakuragi!" Kawamoto turned to the red-haired boy.
"What?!" Still caught up in his frustration over being beaten earlier, Sakuragi sounded belligerent.
"When you're guarding Shiozaki next time, don't jump with all your strength to block his shot fake."
Kawamoto analyzed it calmly. "His shooting touch isn't consistent, and his midrange and long-range percentages aren't high. You just need to put a hand up to obstruct his vision and focus on stopping his drive."
"Besides, even if he makes the shot, it doesn't matter. Those are points we can afford to give up."
"For you, what's more important is gaining experience and carefully observing what these so-called fakes actually look like."
Sakuragi froze for a moment. Although he didn't quite understand those statistics, he understood the part about gaining experience.
For once, he didn't argue. He nodded firmly, his gaze much more serious.
"Ishii!" Kawamoto looked toward the point guard.
"Here!" Ishii answered somewhat nervously.
"You're doing very well!"
Kawamoto was generous with his praise. "Your harassing defense on Yasuda has been very effective. You're making it hard for him to organize an effective offense. Keep playing like that! Keep the pressure on him!"
Praised to his face by the team's key player, Ishii immediately lit up with excitement and joy.
He nodded emphatically. "Yes! I'll keep working hard!"
Finally, his gaze fell on Kaede Rukawa, who had remained silent all along. "Rukawa."
Kaede Rukawa raised his eyes.
"Facing Kogure is your best opportunity to practice one-on-one defense and steals."
There was encouragement in Kawamoto's voice. "You can be more aggressive. Get up on him and apply pressure. Try gambling for steals. Don't be afraid of mistakes. Growth itself comes with repeated mistakes and challenges to your limits."
Kaede Rukawa didn't answer, but the sharp gleam that suddenly lit his eyes showed that he had taken it in.
He and Hanamichi Sakuragi beside him even nodded at the same time, both having understood Kawamoto's tactical intent.
The two instantly realized they were in sync, then immediately turned their heads away in disgust at the same time.
"You damn fox! Why are you copying my nod?!"
Kawamoto paid no attention to the pair's usual squabbling.
He took a deep breath and looked at the four teammates before him, whose eyes had regained their light after just a few words from him.
He shouted in a deep voice, "Guys, do you see it? Their fighting spirit is about to crumble! Keep up the momentum! Take them down!"
"Yeah!!"
Those few simple words were like a spark thrown onto dry kindling.
The first-year team's morale instantly blazed to its peak!
An invisible bond rapidly formed within this hastily assembled team.
And at the heart of that bond was Kawamoto Kazuki, usually a man of few words, yet displaying astonishing ability and leadership on the court.
Takenori Akagi watched it all, his heart sinking to rock bottom.
He could clearly feel the opponents' already surging momentum.
A few perfectly timed pointers and words of encouragement from Kawamoto Kazuki had made it burn even hotter!
Meanwhile, on his own side, their low morale seemed even more dispirited in the face of their opponents' unity and confidence.
This Kawamoto...
Akagi was deeply shaken.
Not only was he a monster in terms of skill, but he also possessed such frightening court awareness and leadership.
With just a few simple words, he had identified everyone's problems.
He had assigned clear tasks, and more importantly...
He had reignited his teammates' confidence.
Akagi began forcing himself to calm down, rapidly analyzing the situation on the court.
At last year's prefectural tournament, Shohoku had been eliminated in the first round precisely because their opponents had adopted the tactic of [shutting down Akagi and leaving everyone else open].
Without him, their sole pillar, Shohoku's entire offense had ground to a complete halt.
And this first-year team before him...
Was ten times more frightening than any opponent they had faced last year.
They had Kaede Rukawa, a super rookie with exceptional one-on-one ability.
They had Kawamoto Kazuki, a nearly all-around ace!
Kawamoto Kazuki...
Akagi looked at that figure, a sense of helplessness rising within him.
An endless array of ways to score, and three-point range to boot.
Elite defensive anticipation, help defense, and awareness of when to rotate.
And now, he was even this good at boosting morale and directing play on the fly...
He was practically the perfect cornerstone for a team!
He and Kaede Rukawa together were a golden pair of guns that could tear opponents apart!
Add in Hanamichi Sakuragi, with his explosive athleticism and constant improvement...
This lineup was terrifying.
A frightening thought slipped uncontrollably into Akagi's mind.
If this kept up...
Were we really...
Were these first-year kids really going to...
Shut us out?
Zero points!
The humiliation of putting up a goose egg in a practice game!
That thought gnawed at his pride like a venomous snake.
Takenori Akagi abruptly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.
A flame of anger finally broke through the ice of despair and blazed fiercely!
"Damn it... You've got to be kidding!"
He forced a low growl through clenched teeth. "Don't underestimate us!"