Yo Aoki laughed even harder upon hearing this. Sakuragi glared at him angrily, but suddenly noticed Shirota next to Yo Aoki, and as if remembering something, shouted, "So it was you, the spy!"
After saying that, he was about to rush over and beat up Shirota, which scared Shirota so much that he quickly shrank behind Yo Aoki!
Fortunately, Takenori Akagi came over and punched Sakuragi on the head, pulling him back to Shohoku's team. Even as he was being dragged along, Sakuragi was still yelling, " Gorilla, these two guys are the spies from before!"
Akagi shoved Sakuragi back onto the bench and explained, "They're not spies, they're members of the Takezato High School Basketball Team."
Kiminobu Kogure looked surprised. " Takezato? Wasn't that one of the top four teams in the prefecture last year? They're on par with Ryonan!"
"Huh?" The other players from Shohoku also exclaimed in surprise.
Hanamichi Sakuragi then burst into laughter. "They're afraid of my genius, that's why they sent people to investigate me. These teams should definitely do that! Hahahaha!"
"Sigh~" A sigh drifted into Sakuragi's ears, and he immediately looked to the side, and sure enough, it was Kaede Rukawa who made it.
Sakuragi angrily shouted at him, " Kaede Rukawa, you bastard!"
Seeing that Sakuragi and Rukawa were about to fight again, Kogure quickly came over to break them up.
After calming the two down, Kogure looked up at Yo Aoki and the others, thinking to himself, "With Akagi and Kaede Rukawa, even Takezato acknowledges Shohoku's strength this year, right? Maybe we really can achieve that dream."
On the Ryonan side, Hikoichi Aida said to Coach Taoka, "Coach, those are Takezato's players."
Coach Taoka laughed dismissively, " Ryonan is going to be the championship team this year, of course those teams will send people to investigate, there's nothing to be surprised about!"
After saying that, he glanced around and suddenly shouted, "What I'm concerned about now is where is Sendoh?"
Just then, the stadium door opened, and a tall figure walked in—it was Sendoh!
The moment Sendoh entered, he became the center of attention, even drawing Yo Aoki's gaze.
"I'll be able to face Sendoh this year. I wonder if I can defend against him with my current strength," Yo Aoki thought, his eyes narrowing slightly as he imagined the match, filled with anticipation.
Three girls rushed over, interrupting Yo Aoki's thoughts, because one of them was Haruko Akagi.
When I first met Haruko Akagi, she had two braids, was dressed casually, and looked breathless.
Yo Aoki nodded secretly. Haruko Akagi was indeed very beautiful, worthy of being one of the two beauties in " Slam Dunk ".
"No wonder Sakuragi is so devoted to her. But then again, Kaede Rukawa seems completely oblivious to Haruko Akagi. Is basketball really all he cares about?"
Just as Yo Aoki was lost in thought, the referee signaled for both teams to enter the field, and the match began.
The situation on the court was exactly the same as in the manga. Jun Uozumi blocked Kogure, Akagi, and Kaede Rukawa's shots in succession at the beginning, suppressing Shohoku's momentum.
Immediately afterwards, Sendoh, relying on his raw strength, led Ryonan to unleash a 19-0 offensive.
But this also completely ignited the anger of Akagi and Kaede Rukawa from Shohoku.
Kaede Rukawa successfully intercepted the ball from Uekusa's pass to Sendoh, then dribbled past two Ryonan players and quickly drove to the basket for a layup.
Although Sendoh had returned to defense in time, Kaede Rukawa deliberately passed the ball to Akagi, who was following up, and the latter immediately unleashed his signature Gorilla Dunk.
In the blink of an eye, the score was tied at 19-2.
Only then did Shohoku sound the horn of their counterattack.
Both sides traded blows, and before halftime, Shohoku narrowed the score to 50-42, trailing Ryonan by eight points.
After watching the first half, Shirota exclaimed in astonishment, " Aoki, Shohoku and Ryonan are indeed ridiculously strong. If we continue to prepare for the game using the same old strategies as last year, the consequences will be unimaginable."
He slapped his thigh and said thankfully, "Especially Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa, those two are so strong they don't seem like high school students at all. It's a good thing you're on the team, otherwise I really don't know how I would have beaten them."
Yo Aoki grinned and patted Shirota on the shoulder. "Stop just admiring it, have you memorized everything you need to remember?"
Shirota flipped to the page in his notebook with a snap, saying without looking up, "Of course I remembered! Look at Sendoh of Ryonan. Although his scoring isn't high, his ability to organize the offense is terrifying. He single-handedly orchestrated Ryonan's offense, and his presence is felt on both ends of the court. He's even more frightening than last year. Shohoku is keeping the score close thanks to their two pillars, Akagi and Kaede Rukawa. In the first half, one scored seventeen points and the other fourteen. They're really something else."
Yo Aoki nodded, then asked, "Anything else?"
Shirota hesitated for a moment, scratched his head, and said, " Aoki, although these two teams are stronger than expected, I don't really think they're anything to be afraid of?"
Yo Aoki teased, "Hey, you just said you didn't know how to beat them?"
Shirota tilted his head and said, "Yeah, but didn't I already say it's good that you're here?"
Yo Aoki shrugged and spread his hands, saying, "I'm no match for them."
Shirota said earnestly, "No, I don't think so. I think you're just as strong as them!"
Yo Aoki smiled and said slowly, "Actually, both of these teams have some real talent hidden away."
Shirota shook his head and said, "That's impossible. This match is so intense, neither team can afford to hold back."
Yo Aoki: "Perhaps the players on the field have given their all, but what about those who haven't even stepped onto the field yet?"
Shirota's eyes lit up. "You mean they still have some key players who haven't played? Oh right, Aoki, didn't you say before that Shohoku has a former high school MVP? Isn't he on the court?"
Yo Aoki nodded and said, "That's right, and Ryonan also has a power forward named Kiccho Fukuda who didn't play either. They're all formidable players!"
Shirota asked in surprise, " Aoki, where did you get this information from?"
Yo Aoki said with a smile, "I asked that private detective named Kogoro Mouri to find out."
"Really?" Shirota's face was full of disbelief.
Haha, just kidding!
Their laughter was a bit loud, and Hanamichi Sakuragi, who was not far away, heard it.
Hanamichi Sakuragi rushed over, yelling at the top of his lungs, "You two spies! How dare you disturb this genius's view of the game!"
Yo Aoki laughed and said, "You'll have to get into the competition first."
"Damn it! You just wait!" Sakuragi said, lunging to punch Yo Aoki. Kogure and Akagi rushed over and pulled Sakuragi back with great effort.
Amidst the commotion, the second half of the game began.
Akagi unexpectedly twisted his ankle and had to leave the field in the second half, which became the turning point of the game.
Sakuragi was so nervous after coming on as a substitute that his palms were sweating. Ryonan kept scoring by exploiting his weaknesses. Fortunately, Kaede Rukawa was there to keep him in check, and Sakuragi gradually regained his form and even made the crucial shot that put them ahead.
That's how basketball is; you never know the outcome until the very last moment.
Shohoku, who thought they had the game in the bag, never expected Sendoh to make a difficult layup in the final moments to take the lead again, and Ryonan ultimately won by a single point.
Shirota sighed and said, " Aoki, coming to this match today was definitely worthwhile; there's so much to learn and summarize."
Yo Aoki stared at Sakuragi, who was standing not far away, unable to accept the outcome, and said softly, "An era has begun."
As soon as Monday arrived, Yo Aoki and Shirota had already compiled the latest strength analysis of Shohoku and Ryonan.
The two of them went into Coach Akai's office together.
Coach Akai Akai's face immediately darkened after reviewing the analysis report handed to him by Shirota: " Ryonan and Shohoku really that strong?"
Shirota confirmed, "Yes, Coach, Aoki and I saw it with our own eyes."
Yo Aoki thought for a moment and said, "Coach, I'd like to ask for leave this afternoon to go to Shohoku and investigate further. Shohoku is currently our biggest potential threat."
Coach Akai fell into deep thought.
Takezato, as one of the four seeded teams, has already secured a spot in the quarterfinals. They only need to win one more game to advance to the semifinals.
But with Shohoku's strength, if Takezato were really placed in the same bracket as Takezato, it would be hard to say who would win or lose. So they must do their homework in advance!
" Aoki, it's good that you're going. Make sure you thoroughly understand Shohoku's strength. I'll ask your homeroom teacher for leave on your behalf." Coach Akai said, then looked at Shirota, " Shirota, don't stop investigating the other teams either, keep going!"
"Yes!" Yo Aoki and Shirota replied in unison.
The claim that he went to Shohoku for investigation in the afternoon was just a pretext made up by Yo Aoki.
Yo Aoki knows all the inside stories of Shohoku.
His real intention was to "accidentally" run into Hanamichi Sakuragi.
After talking with Sakuragi yesterday, he felt restless and kept thinking about finding an opportunity to have a good chat with Sakuragi.
Yo Aoki has a good memory; he knows that Hanamichi Sakuragi will definitely go to the shoe store owned by the mustachioed shopkeeper after school the day after the match against Ryonan to pick out shoes.
He figured that the place was the perfect spot for a "chance encounter," and he could also pick up a pair of shoes while he was at it—killing two birds with one stone.
Fortunately, these professional basketball equipment stores weren't hard to find. Yo Aoki asked a few young men on the street and quickly found the store.
Judging that school had probably let out by the time students from Shohoku finished school, Yo Aoki pushed open the door and entered the store. The store was very bright and spacious, with various basketball shoes on the shoe racks, basketball uniforms and sportswear hanging around the perimeter, and basketballs and fitness equipment piled up to the brim.
"Welcome!" A middle-aged man with a mustache and a mushroom haircut approached. He was none other than the shop manager whose shoes Sakuragi had stolen and whose cheek Akagi had pinched.
Yo Aoki smiled and said, "Hello, I'd like to pick out a pair of basketball shoes."
The store manager glanced at him and asked, "What size do you wear?"
"28 yards."
The store manager pointed to a pair of ASICS shoes on the shelf. "How about these? Lots of people are scrambling to buy them."
Yo Aoki shook his head. "Do you have any Air Jordan 3 basketball shoes?"
The store manager was taken aback. "Those shoes are a limited edition, they're really expensive."
Yo Aoki smiled and said, "Money is no problem."
The store manager sized him up again. "You're quite tall, young man. Which high school do you go to?"
" Takezato High School."
The store manager said, " Takezato is one of the top four in the county, but your school is quite far from here. Why did you come here to buy shoes?"
Yo Aoki scratched his nose and laughed, "I heard that the shoes here are of reliable quality and the owner is honest, so I came to take a look."
Upon hearing this, the store manager put his hands on his hips and laughed heartily, "I'm not bragging! Our store is one of the top professional basketball equipment stores in the country!"
As he spoke, he tossed his head back, staring at the ceiling at a 45-degree angle, and said, enunciating each word clearly, "To be honest, I was on the basketball team in high school!"