He is still the captain of Shohoku and a pillar of the Shohoku, but he is also willing to play a supporting role for his teammates.
In these final forty minutes, he needs to hold up the paint and be the most reliable pillar for Shohoku.
Takenori Akagi clenched his fist and roared:
" Shohoku!!!"
That shout made Kiminobu Kogure on the sidelines, feel a lump in his throat, and tears welled up in his eyes.
He understood Akagi's feelings all too well; he felt the same way himself—he thought his basketball dream was about to end, but it actually continued, and even took a major turn for the better.
After winning the last round against the Chariot, Kazuo Karasawa and Shota Sugiyama unexpectedly came to see him. He was completely bewildered at first; why did these two from Fukazawa want to see him?
Previously, Akagi's contact with Fukazawa had nothing to do with him. He thought it was paving the way for Akagi, but he never expected that Karasawa would specifically invite him along.
Not to mention Kiminobu Kogure, Takenori Akagi was just as bewildered, completely clueless about what the two of them were up to.
But they soon realized that a stroke of good fortune had befallen Kiminobu Kogure.
Coach Karasawa pulled out a player list and scrutinized him from head to toe. He really knew how to exaggerate; the player didn't have any outstanding qualities, yet he managed to find a whole bunch of advantages for him.
He was praised to the skies for his strengths and his weaknesses were all described as "not working hard enough." With this kind of packaging, he became the excellent player in Karasawa's eyes, and he almost believed it himself.
Actually, he's really good. He's accurate with spot-up three-pointers, has a high basketball IQ, and his understanding of tactics is among the best in the team. He also has a lot of fighting spirit. In the game against Sannoh, he kept up with his opponents. He didn't play much, but he had a lot of highlights. He's not afraid of strong opponents and dares to fight hard.
If he trains properly, he will definitely be a reliable 3D player, which is why Fukazawa wanted him.
Of course, Fukazawa was mainly after Akagi, but his merits were enough to qualify for the conditions he was asked for. If he had none at all, he wouldn't have brought it up.
Going to Fukazawa means hellish training. How far you go depends on yourself. You've been guaranteed a place in university, but whether you graduate or not is none of their concern.
Upon hearing this news, he was completely stunned, even more so than when he was called to the meeting. He had planned his future meticulously, never expecting such good news! Fukazawa!
But he quickly realized that Akagi, the academic genius, wasn't stupid. He just hadn't expected Fukazawa to value him so much, and he was quite grateful. Who could resist the temptation of being on the same team as his good friend Kogure?
Without a second thought, Takenori Akagi slapped him on the back, his eyes clearly saying, "Agree now, or I'll kill you!"
This snapped him out of his shock. He nodded hurriedly, thanking Fukazawa profusely for the opportunity, not caring about saving face at all.
Anyone else might have exploded and slammed their fist on the table. "You want Takenori Akagi, and I'm just a filler? Why should I be!" But Kiminobu Kogure is different. Over the years, he's gotten used to being a "veteran supporting actor" on the team. As a filler? He's the reliable kind.
Kazuo Karasawa breathed a sigh of relief when they saw how sensible he was, realizing that dealing with smart people was so much easier. Takenori Akagi didn't waste any words and immediately agreed to join Fukazawa Sports University.
And just like that, Akagi and Kogure, these two old partners from Shohoku, were going to be playing together on the university basketball court again. Kogure knew perfectly well that he got this spot entirely because of Akagi, not to mention the help of those problem kids.
They were the ones who turned his unrealistic basketball dreams into something tangible. "Thank you," Kogure murmured. To him, Shohoku was never just a team, but more like a home that could shelter him from the storm.
The referee's whistle pierced the air, and the basketball in his hand was tossed into the air. As the ball reached its highest point, Takenori Akagi and Robinson on the opposite side simultaneously leaped into the air.
During the jump ball, Akagi wasn't under any pressure; he was simply doing what a pillar of Shohoku should do, giving his all to secure the first possession for his teammates. Robinson didn't take Shohoku seriously at all; he had said before that no one on Shohoku was worth his attention, and Takenori Akagi was no exception.
So Robinson didn't use his full strength in that jump; his relaxed attitude clearly showed he underestimated his opponent. In contrast, Takenori Akagi's jump was full of momentum!
With a crisp snap, he slapped the basketball back into Shohoku's half of the court. A wave of excitement erupted from the crowd. Robinson, on the other hand, frowned in frustration, thinking to himself, "Did they give me a hard time?"
Shohoku is still the team that always manages to surprise everyone. No one would have thought they had the advantage in every aspect, but they proved everyone wrong right from the start. Takenori Akagi won the jump ball and gained possession of the first ball in the game.
Although it was just a one-second thing, just a regular jump ball, who would dare say that Shohoku at a complete disadvantage now? Obviously, no one, and even the Shohoku players themselves didn't think so. Akagi had just won the inbound pass when Shirasawa received the ball in the backcourt and began to dominate the first offensive play of the game.
The Cheetah Team ' defensive strategy looked quite simple: the whole team retreated to the backcourt, abandoning the zone defense and opting for standard half-court man-to-man defense. Just as Shirasawa crossed the midcourt line, Alex was already blocking him at the top of the arc.
Alex was furious. His original plan was to go through a few rounds with Shirasawa to test each other's strengths. This was the standard procedure for a showdown between ace fighters. He wasn't being arrogant; he always respected the strong. If you were strong enough, he would never underestimate you.
He had long regarded Shirasawa as an opponent of the same level. In his mind, Shirasawa was at the level of a five-star high school student in the Lighthouse Country, and even if he participated in the draft now, his market value would not be bad. That's why he treated Shirasawa like a matchup ace, with the ultimate goal of defeating his opponent.
But plans can't keep up with changes. Alex is different now. He's already getting a headache from being angry at Sota Miyagi on the sidelines, and he has only one thought in his mind: crush Shohoku! Forget about Shirasawa Shirasawa, just do it first.
No sooner said than done, Shirasawa had just crossed the center line when Alex pounced on him like a hungry tiger! Usually, it was Shirasawa who pounced on others; this was the first time he had been pounced on like this.
This kind of gambling-style defense not only requires super explosive power and judgment, but also the ability to withstand the consequences. If you don't make a good save, you'll be beaten directly, and your teammates will have to clean up the mess. What's more, he was saving Shirasawa!
Previously, " Slam Dunk " published an alternative ranking, listing the strongest high school students in each category nationwide. Shirasawa dominated the top spots in multiple categories, including ball handling and dribbling skills. The second place went to Kenji Fujima. Before Shirasawa appeared, Fujima's ball handling and dribbling were already top-notch in the country. With this skill, he could score points with ease, even without height or physical strength.
But Shirasawa's emergence completely overturned expectations. He possesses both height and physicality, and can also master ball handling to the extreme. Throughout the season, he led all teams by a wide margin in the number of times he faked out defenders. This article essentially served as a warning to all teams: don't gamble on defense against ball handling masters like Shirasawa in the new season. But Alex did exactly that.
The two teams' aces clashed right from the start, and the fans on the sidelines instantly went wild. Some were shouting their support scarves until their throats were hoarse, while others were slapping their thighs in frustration—both looking forward to seeing a battle of titans and fearing that Shirasawa would be defeated by Alex's crazy tackle right from the start.
Alex's movements were so fast it was like he was on fast forward; in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Shirasawa. Anyone else would have panicked by now, but Shirasawa had no intention of dodging. The moment Alex moved his foot, he had already etched the words "fight head-on" into his mind.
He refused to pass the ball no matter what, even though there were two open spaces in front of him that would allow him to avoid Alex's frantic save. But Alex's stance clearly showed that he was determined to fight him to the death, which only fueled Shirasawa's stubbornness.
Do you think you can handle me? Or do you think I, Shirasawa, am easy to bully? Anyway, Shirasawa is really getting angry.
With two loud thuds as the ball bounced, Shirasawa pushed off the ground and charged forward. Just as he was about to collide with Alex, he suddenly flicked the ball behind him and darted sideways.
Alex reacted quickly, immediately shifting sideways to block Shirasawa's path, determined to stop him at the top of the arc.
Shirasawa remained composed, smoothly pulling the ball back, flicking it back with his dominant hand from between his legs, then twisting his body and making a sharp change of direction to rush to the left.
This is where the true skill of masters comes into play—it all depends on instantaneous reaction. There's no such thing as anticipation; whoever anticipates will be the first to fall. Every move is a reactive response, there's no time to think otherwise. So when you see two masters dueling, sometimes it seems like there are no fancy moves and the fight is over, making you think the defender is weak, but that's not the truth at all. That one second between offense and defense is the line between life and death; if you make a mistake, there's no going back, no way to recover.
Two crossovers created openings for Alex, and with Shirasawa's physical strength, he broke through the defense. Alex's gamble on defense completely backfired.
However, this defeat was only from their perspective; the fans couldn't see that in detail. They only felt that Shirasawa hadn't been completely overpowered by Alex, but he hadn't shaken him off either. The two were still stuck together, neither winning, and they remained deadlocked.
Suddenly, Sota Miyagi was sitting on the sidelines, slapped his thigh and stared at Alex, who was locked in a fierce battle with Shirasawa. He finally remembered who this person was.
"Oh, it was him!"
"That's going to be interesting!"