boom!
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Hanamichi Sakuragi slammed the ball into the basket with one hand, completing a gliding dunk from just one step beyond the free-throw line! The cheers on the court instantly turned against them, and the Shohoku fans went wild. Nothing could be more satisfying than this simple and brutal response; Sakuragi's dunk struck right into the hearts of the Shohoku fans.
Tetsuo Hotta seized the opportunity, waving their banner and blowing their horns, and Shohoku's momentum was restored. Yoko also jumped up excitedly; Sakuragi's response was so powerful!
Takenori Akagi's lips curled up, and he silently gave the genius a thumbs up in his heart. For the first time, he felt that the Bad Boys' gang's fighting spirit was a good thing.
Hanamichi Sakuragi turned around under the basket, his eyes sweeping fiercely over every member of Sannoh.
"I, Hanamichi Sakuragi, am here. You have no right to act tough over Shohoku!"
Upon hearing this, Masashi Kawata's face immediately darkened. He stared at Sakuragi for two seconds, then turned and Eiji Sawakita.
Sawakita grinned, looking as if he'd just found some money.
It's true, a team like Shohoku that doesn't hold back at all is rare in the country, but that's exactly what he likes. What's the point of basketball without a bit of tension? That's how Sawakita was taught from a young age, and he's suffered a lot because of that temper. Back in middle school, he got beaten up by older students and was lying on the ground with a black eye, but he still wouldn't forget to be defiant and insisted on saying, "You're all trash."
But what was the result? His skills were amazing, but he was incredibly unpopular; his teammates avoided him.
It wasn't until he joined Sannoh Industrial High School that things completely changed. Everyone there was ruthless; no one complained about your strength, only your weakness. Eiji Sawakita had finally found his people. So, in the current situation, the whole team was hoping he would step up; no one was willing to tolerate it.
whoosh--
Just like Sakuragi before, Sawakita accelerated and charged towards Shohoku's half of the court. This single start caused the Sannoh fans to erupt in cheers, their shouts deafening.
The nation's top high school student is about to take action!
He ran even faster than Sakuragi, crossing half-court in the blink of an eye. Then, he took a step beyond the three-point line, stepped onto the free-throw line, and launched himself forward. In terms of jumping distance, Sawakita was farther than Sakuragi, and even had more explosive power. He soared into the air, heading straight for the basket.
He slammed the ball in with one arm, clean and decisive. This dunk was a foregone conclusion; he definitely outmaneuvered Sakuragi.
" Sawakita! Sawakita!"
The Sannoh fans went wild, their response was incredibly strong. You have to understand, Sakuragi's dunk was something only a handful of high school students nationwide could pull off. But Sawakita didn't just complete it, he surpassed it, making even that rare feat a joke. This kind of victory was like pushing the limits one step further, instantly pushing Sannoh Industrial High School's momentum back to its peak.
"See that, red-haired kid? You're still a greenhorn." Masashi Kawata said smugly to Sakuragi.
Sakuragi gritted his teeth, his face full of defiance. He felt that his jumping ability was fine; he had just miscalculated his footwork and taken too big a step. Although he hadn't hurt anything, the difficulty level had definitely decreased.
The Shohoku fans fell silent again. They had only been excited for a few seconds before being abruptly silenced, feeling incredibly frustrated. But there was nothing they could do; whether or not they could gain momentum depended entirely on the players on the court, and shouting themselves hoarse wouldn't help.
Now we can only hope that someone will step forward.
But that dunk by Sawakita, he flew out just off the free-throw line, who the hell can beat that?
"We still have Xiao Bai!"
Haruko's shout gave everyone the answer. Yes, Shirasawa was still there! When had he ever let anyone down? He would never stand idly by at a time like this.
The Shohoku fans, who had just quieted down, immediately found their anchor again and shouted even louder than before. The Sannoh fans, on the other hand, laughed. Shirasawa was strong, no doubt about it, but could Sawakita's dunk be surpassed? To put it bluntly, even if Sawakita tried it again, he might not be able to land that precise. That was the free-throw line! The Shohoku fans were probably going to slap themselves in the face.
Shirasawa is already in a difficult position. If he doesn't accept the offer, he'll disappoint everyone; if he accepts but fails to complete it, he'll just be making a fool of himself. They can just watch the show; there's no such thing as a free lunch. If they weren't afraid of losing face, the Sannoh fans would be chanting " Shirasawa " along with everyone else.
On the court, Eiji Sawakita smiled, picked up the ball, and tossed it directly to Shirasawa. He didn't say anything, but his smile held anticipation and excitement. He even hoped Shirasawa would succeed, as that would make things even more interesting. Of course, he knew the odds were incredibly low.
All the pressure fell on Shohoku. Sakuragi's response pushed them to the brink. Giving up or failing, either way, would severely damage their morale.
Win? They believed in Shirasawa and knew Shirasawa capabilities, but the distance was simply too extreme. Not only was it far, but they also had to land their feet precisely while running at high speed, with their toes perfectly positioned behind the free-throw line—even a slight deviation wouldn't work. They hadn't specifically practiced this before; how could they calculate their footwork so precisely? The slightest misstep in their footwork would affect their jumping ability. The success rate was frighteningly low.
" Xiao Bai," Kogure called out worriedly, but the rest of the words got stuck in his throat.
Shirasawa simply smiled faintly.
That one smile instantly put his teammates' anxious hearts at ease.
There's no way to avoid this ball.
Shirasawa has a ruthless streak, especially on the basketball court. If anyone challenges him, he'll definitely get his revenge. When it comes to physical prowess, he's never been afraid of anyone.
Without even opening his mouth, he took a step and charged towards Sannoh.
The Shohoku fans went wild, their shouts nearly lifting the roof off.
"Here it comes! Shirasawa is here!"
"Charge! Take him down!"
Nobunaga Kiyota craned his neck, his eyes practically bulging out, muttering, "This... will this even work?"
Shinichi Maki didn't say anything, but his eyes were fixed on the field. He knew in his heart that if there was anyone in the whole country who could smash this ball into the net, it could only be Shirasawa.
The members of the Sannoh were quite sensible; they all quickly moved aside. They didn't believe Shirasawa could actually succeed anyway, so they figured they might as well watch the show.
Only Hanamichi Sakuragi remained standing under the basket, fists clenched, roaring until the veins on his neck bulged, "Go, Xiao Bai! Kill them!"
He believed Shirasawa could do it, so he had to stand here and watch his brother smash the ball in.
Shirasawa dashed across the center line in the blink of an eye, and when he reached the vicinity of the three-point line, he took a sudden step.
With two quick steps, the second step landed perfectly just before the free-throw line, as if measured with a ruler. Then he smoothly lifted himself up.
His jump caused everyone in the audience to tilt their heads back, their necks almost snapping.
In the blink of an eye, Shirasawa glided over the three-second zone and slammed the ball into the basket with a loud "bang".
A textbook free-throw line dunk, and just like that, it happened.
Everyone in the stadium stood up, mouths agape, completely at a loss for words. After much thought, the most fitting response was simply "Holy crap!"
Even Coach Anzai couldn't sit still, straightening his back ramrod straight. He had played basketball for half his life and coached for so many years, and he knew very well that this dunk was the best in the country, and only he could pull it off.
Shirasawa landed cleanly and swiftly, and then casually clapped hands with Hanamichi Sakuragi under the basket.
Hanamichi Sakuragi grinned and laughed loudly, his laughter incredibly arrogant. They'd succeeded! The two brothers slapped Sannoh's face repeatedly onto the ground.
Now, Sakuragi felt emboldened to be arrogant. He glanced sideways, his meaning crystal clear—what, you guys go ahead and dunk again? Try jumping from the three-point line and dunking? Why don't you just fly into the sky?
Shirasawa's dunk was the game-winner; no one could turn the tide.
The entire Shohoku went crazy. Takenori Akagi and Kiminobu Kogure a high five. That kid, Shirasawa, actually accomplished the impossible. He not only pulled Shohoku back from the brink of disaster, but also kicked Sannoh off the cliff. One person can turn the world upside down; that's how unreasonable he is.
In the audience, the two beauties, Sanae and Yayoi Aida, jumped up and cheered for Shirasawa. The scene was indeed pleasing to the eye, attracting many people's attention. Unfortunately, things that are too beautiful always seem too far away and unattainable.
On the field, all the Sannoh players were speechless; they were still completely bewildered.
Sakuragi previously highlighted Sawakita, but Sawakita have now made Shirasawa stand out even more. The difficulty level has reached an all-time high.
Eiji Sawakita felt a rush of blood to his head, his scalp tingling with excitement. For the first time, someone dared to confront him head-on and corner him. Honestly, he craved this feeling; it was almost addictive. Aren't people like them all about trampling what others deem "impossible" underfoot?
Shirasawa's fire has completely set him on fire.
But just then, Goro Domoto stood up from the bench. He didn't object to players showing off on the court; if you have the skill, you should display it, there's no point in hiding it. But there's a premise: it has to be within a controllable range and beneficial to the team. The current situation was clearly wrong, because he knew very well that Sawakita couldn't possibly produce another dunk that was even more powerful than Shirasawa's. If they continued like this, they would mess things up.
At this point, the coach has to step in, using the banner of "harmony is paramount," and stop the charade. But then, it won't be that Sawakita is afraid to return the favor, but rather that Goro Domoto won't allow it. Although it's a bit shameless, it's indeed the best solution right now.
Before he could even speak, the referee blew his whistle, signaling both teams to return to the bench. The referee didn't care who had the higher or lower morale; he just wanted to finish his work quickly so he wouldn't be late for the day.
Goro Domoto breathed a sigh of relief. Well, at least he saved face and avoided being infamous.
Eiji Sawakita could only shake his head, the muscles in his calves that had just tensed up relaxing again. Oh well, he'd save that energy for the competition.
Sannoh fans certainly didn't think their team had lost; they felt the game was interrupted by the referee, not that they were incompetent!