Kaede Rukawa was the kind of basketball player who rose to meet stronger opponents.
Sendoh's repeated scoring failed to break him. Instead, it kindled an even stronger desire to attack.
Every cell in his body seemed to come alive.
Even the corners of his usually expressionless eyes seemed to reveal a trace of excitement.
Sendoh's dazzling display had fired him up completely.
Receiving Kogure's pass at the baseline, Kaede Rukawa faced Sendoh without testing him first.
He went straight into a crossover followed by a spin to get past him.
His movements were faster than on any previous attempt.
Even Sendoh could not help frowning.
This first-year kid grew more surprising the longer he played.
Though he could barely manage to impede Rukawa's drive, he had already missed the best moment.
Akira Sendoh was a basketball player with excellent sportsmanship.
He would not resort to fouling to disrupt an opponent's hot shooting touch.
So on this play, he could only watch as Kaede Rukawa drove past him.
After beating Sendoh, Kaede Rukawa charged straight toward the basket.
Uozumi came over to help on defense again.
Utterly fearless, Kaede Rukawa leaped into the air.
He contorted his body for a double-clutch, switching hands to finish the layup.
Not only that, he drew a foul on Uozumi.
Kaede Rukawa sank the extra free throw!
50:64.
That play was entirely a demonstration of Kaede Rukawa's individual ability!
In less than two short minutes, the court had become a stage for Kaede Rukawa and Akira Sendoh alone.
They traded baskets, each displaying his arsenal and taking individual offensive skill to its limit.
Post-ups, face-ups, threes, drives, fadeaways, floaters, Eurosteps, double-clutches...
They pulled off all kinds of difficult shots with ease, as though putting on a dazzling one-on-one contest!
The score climbed furiously, reaching 64:76.
The gap remained at 12 points, but the sheer excitement of the game had made everyone forget the score.
Every basket drew thunderous cheers from both benches.
This was a clash of talent, a contest of skill, a duel between aces.
At that moment, Takenori Akagi, Jun Uozumi, and the other players seemed to have become mere backdrops.
Stunned by the performance of these two elite scorers, they could only focus on rebounds, boxing out, and simple ball movement.
"They're... they're incredible!"
On Shohoku's bench, Hanamichi Sakuragi, who had been substituted out for a rest, gaped.
This was arguably his first time experiencing a battle between top scorers so directly.
The spectacle went beyond his imagination. It was utterly astounding.
"That stinking fox... he's actually that strong?!"
Coach Taoka and Coach Anzai both sat courtside.
They were different from the players.
As coaches, they cared more about winning and losing.
Though this pure scoring shootout between aces was spectacular, it took an enormous toll on Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa.
There was no need to fight so fiercely in a practice game.
When Hanamichi Sakuragi's scramble for the ball knocked it out of bounds, the referee's whistle blew.
Ryonan called a timeout.
Coach Moichi Taoka stood courtside, watching his players walk off the court through narrowed eyes.
Though his team led by 12 points, there was little joy on his face. Instead, there was a barely perceptible gravity.
"Sendoh, take a good rest on the bench for the rest of the game."
Taoka addressed Sendoh, who had played exceptionally well.
Sendoh nodded and wiped his sweat with a towel, the excited flush from the intense duel not yet entirely gone from his face.
He instinctively glanced toward Shohoku's bench, just in time to see Kaede Rukawa looking at him.
The gazes of the two aces, who had just battled so evenly on the court, briefly met.
In Kaede Rukawa's eyes were a fighting spirit that had yet to be satisfied and a trace of excitement at finding a worthy opponent.
Sendoh's gaze held more of the pleasant surprise and amusement of discovering someone of his own kind.
Both knew that their duel had only just begun.
Coach Taoka replaced Sendoh with a second-year small forward named Nakamura.
On the other side, Coach Anzai sent in Satoru Kakuta for Kaede Rukawa, leaving Kiminobu Kogure to shoulder more of the playmaking duties.
"Coach, why did you take Sendoh off? We have all the momentum right now!"
Holding his notebook, Hikoichi Aida asked quietly, somewhat puzzled.
From the perspective of a first-year newcomer like him.
With a substantial lead and their ace on fire, the team should have pressed the advantage and widened the gap.
Rather than answer directly, Coach Taoka asked, "Hikoichi, what do you think of Shohoku now?"
Hikoichi Aida thought for a moment, his tone suggesting the answer was obvious. "Kaede Rukawa is amazing, but aren't we still ahead by 12? Besides, our elite scorer, Kiccho Fukuda, hasn't even played yet!"
"If Fukuda goes in, we can combine our inside and outside attacks and definitely push the lead past 20!"
"So while Shohoku is much stronger than last year, they still don't count as a truly strong team, right?"
Coach Taoka shook his head gently at that.
His gaze turned to the players from both teams, who had already resumed play.
"Hikoichi, you're still only looking at the surface," he said gravely.
He paused, then began patiently explaining to his young guard. "You've only seen the score, not what lies beneath it."
"Kaede Rukawa is only a first-year newcomer."
"A first-year?" Hikoichi Aida was taken aback.
"That's right, a first-year."
Coach Taoka stressed his words. "What does that mean? It means he hasn't fully adapted to the pace, physicality, and tactical systems of high school basketball. What he showed today was more a display of his astonishing individual talent and scoring instincts."
"Think about it. If he'd shown that kind of offensive efficiency from the opening tip, would we still have had a chance to build such a big lead in the first half?"
"We probably would have been locked in a tough fight from the very start."
Hikoichi Aida nodded thoughtfully.
Coach Taoka continued, pointing onto the court. "Now look at Shohoku's other two first-years."
"Let's start with number 10, Hanamichi Sakuragi."
At that moment, Sakuragi used his terrifying explosiveness on defense to block Ryoji Ikegami's shot from an unbelievable angle.
Though he committed a foul, his leaping ability and defensive intensity were jaw-dropping.
"See that?" Coach Taoka said. "His athletic talent is the very best I've seen in high school basketball in recent years."
"His nose for rebounds, his ability to jump repeatedly, his running speed... all one in ten thousand."
"His problem right now is the opposite of Kaede Rukawa's. His technique is far too crude, and his basketball IQ needs improvement. He's a complete novice."
"But!"
Coach Taoka's tone shifted. "Precisely because he's a blank slate, his room for improvement is limitless."
"With physical gifts like his, once he receives systematic training, how astonishing will his rate of improvement be?"
"I, Moichi Taoka, firmly believe he has the potential to grow into a truly terrifying player."
Watching Sakuragi stamp his feet in frustration over a foul, Hikoichi Aida seemed to begin to understand Moichi Taoka's words.
"And then there's number 15, Kawamoto Kazuki."
Coach Taoka's gaze focused on the tall figure battling Hiroaki Koshino for position.
"Right now, it may look as though he and Koshino are merely trading blows, with him even slightly on the losing side."
"But look closely at his height, wingspan, shoulder width, and frame... he's practically the perfect template for an interior player."
"This kind of talent is even rarer than Hanamichi Sakuragi's dynamic athleticism, because it's a foundation that no amount of training can produce."
"And he's a first-year too!"
"With his physical gifts, after another few months of intense training and honing himself in games, do you think Koshino will still be able to contain him the way he does now?"