"I'd really like to give it a try."
Shoyo is on offense, and the ball is once again in Hanagata's hands.
"It's him again!" Everyone on the Shohoku bench was on the edge of their seats.
Akagi's face was covered in sweat as he stared intently at Hanagata in front of him.
After suffering two consecutive defeats, he was seething with anger.
This time, we absolutely have to defend against it!
Hanagata still holds the ball with his back to the goal, feinting left and right with his shoulders.
Akagi didn't dare blink, completely focused.
At that moment, Nagano used a screen to shake off Sakuragi and cut towards Hanagata.
The moment their figures crossed paths, Akagi's view was momentarily blocked.
In that instant, Hanagata suddenly turned around, as if to throw!
Without a second thought, Akagi jumped up as if by reflex.
But when he jumped up, he realized— Hanagata didn't have a ball in his hand at all!
The ball had already been passed to Nagano.
Akagi was in mid-air and had no time to return to his position.
Sakuragi did manage to catch up, jumping up to block the shot, but he was still a step too slow.
Nagano jumped easily, executed a small dunk, and put the ball in.
In the audience, Hikoichi Aida scratched his head.
"Huh? Why isn't Hanagata playing by himself this time? He's on fire."
Moichi Taoka, who was standing next to him, crossed his arms and offered an explanation.
"This is Shoyo's strategy. On offense, they let multiple players contribute to save energy; on defense, they focus on cutting off Shirasawa's connection with his teammates."
He paused, then continued, "Let Shirasawa fight the entire team alone, slowly wearing him down. That makes sense; Shirasawa can't stay this invincible forever."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Sendoh's voice floated in.
"I think... if it were him, perhaps it would be possible."
Kaede Rukawa looked at the field and uttered two words expressionlessly.
"Certainly."
Moichi Taoka the two of them talking back and forth. He glared at them and said, "Why are you two talking so much today!"
Sendoh, still with that ever-smiling expression, turned to look at Kaede Rukawa, "Yeah, you've been quite talkative today."
Kaede Rukawa didn't even lift his eyelids, his eyes fixed on the court. "Watching the game."
On the field, the two sides fought more and more fiercely.
On the Shohoku side, Shirasawa is basically carrying the team forward by himself.
Shoyo didn't double-team him; at most, when he got to the basket, they would have Takano or Hanagata come over to help out.
But Shirasawa didn't care at all.
Floaters, layups, pull-up jumpers... he can make it no matter what he does.
He's practically become a scoring machine.
The audience was cheering.
This is the first time I've seen Shirasawa fight so freely in a match!
They showcased their personal abilities to the fullest.
Shoyo was equally decisive.
He relied on his height to attack the inside.
Akagi was completely outmaneuvered by Hanagata, leaving Sakuragi as the only one holding up the basket for Shohoku.
Apart from Shoyo, all four other players on Fujima can drive to the basket.
Mitsui and Miyagi were running their lungs out, but the height difference was too great, and they couldn't catch up with him.
Shirasawa, meanwhile, kept his eyes fixed on Fujima.
They were actually thinking pretty much the same thing.
One person thought, "I don't believe you can kill our whole team by yourself."
Another thought: I don't believe your teammates can kill us.
The score is 22 to 18.
Shirasawa scored all 22 of Shohoku's points, keeping the team in the lead for the entire period.
Right now, Shoyo has attacked the inside again.
Hanagata faced Akagi and made a three-threat gesture.
Akagi's eyes widened like saucers.
He had seen everything Shirasawa had just done.
If it weren't for Shirasawa holding things together, Shohoku would probably have already lost.
It's been three years...
No, it's more than three years.
This is an opportunity I've been waiting for for so long!
How could I possibly hold them back here!
You've worked hard, Xiao Bai!
" Akagi... he's awake!"
Kogure suddenly sat up straight, agitated.
As I said before, no one understands Akagi better than him.
He can detect changes from a single glance or a single gesture.
All eyes on the bench were on Akagi.
He took a deep breath, opened his arms, and lowered his center of gravity.
His movements immediately returned to their usual wide and sweeping style.
"Come on, Hanagata! We can't keep having the newcomers take care of us!"
Akagi's fighting spirit surged instantly.
In fact, his performance has been fluctuating since the beginning of the show.
He was tense when he first entered the arena, but relaxed slightly after Shirasawa unleashed his power.
Then, being overwhelmed by the Hanagata, he became impatient.
Akagi slumps, the whole team is affected.
Shohoku was completely dragged along by Shirasawa, who kept scoring.
This feeling is exactly the same as it was a year ago.
Only Akagi himself truly knows the feeling behind it.
After waiting for so many years, I've finally found a reliable teammate, and I absolutely cannot be the one who holds them back!
We absolutely cannot destroy our own dreams!
After nearly ten minutes of play, Akagi finally found his rhythm.
Hanagata smirked, clearly thinking that Akagi was just putting on a brave face.
Even if Akagi is in top form, he is confident he can win.
The next second, Hanagata tucked his feet in and jumped straight up.
"Another fadeaway jumper!" someone on the Shohoku bench exclaimed.
Kogure clenched his fists, his eyes resolute, " Akagi!!"
On the field, Akagi suddenly let out a roar!
He'd been holding this in for far too long!
Akagi jumped with all his might, but this time his goal wasn't to block the basketball!
Just as Hanagata was about to make his move, a large hand suddenly blocked his way!
The entire view was completely blocked.
Everything went black, Hanagata felt a sudden panic.
Their shooting rhythm also became chaotic.
Akagi hadn't even landed yet, but he was certain the ball wouldn't go in.
Moreover, he believed that the ball would definitely belong to Shohoku!
Because his teammate is the Rebound King of Kanagawa!
" Sakuragi!!" Akagi roared again.
Immediately afterwards, a loud "bang" was heard.
As expected, it didn't go in!
Hanagata hurriedly shouted, "Backboard!"
Under the basket, Sakuragi spread his arms wide, firmly blocking Takano.
Nagano stood diagonally in front of Sakuragi.
At that moment, Sakuragi seemed to be ignited by Akagi's roar.
All he could see was that ball!
"Ah--!!"
Sakuragi let out the same roar as Akagi and leaped up between the two of them!
On the first try, he managed to bounce the ball up through the gaps in the crowd.
Takano and Nagano were both tall, so they jumped at the same time to compete for the ball.
On the second attempt, Sakuragi used his incredible speed to gain half a body length advantage.
Landing!
"The area under the basket is my territory!"
Under the stunned gazes of Takano and Nagano, Sakuragi leaped into the air for the third time!
They finally secured that crucial rebound!
While he was falling, he threw the ball forward without thinking.
Because he believed that Shirasawa would definitely be able to receive it!
The basketball whistled towards the front court, and Shirasawa, Miyagi, Fujima, and Hasegawa rushed out at the same time.
Akagi and Sakuragi's series of actions completely threw the Shohoku bench into chaos.
"Charge, Xiao Bai!"
Shirasawa jumped directly while running, taking advantage of his height and wingspan to firmly grab the ball.
However, Sakuragi's pass was really powerful, making his palm go numb from the impact.
In that brief moment of airborne movement, Fujima and Hasegawa had already retreated to their defensive positions.
Fujima blocked Shirasawa's path, while Hasegawa followed Miyagi.
Shirasawa didn't stop at all; without even looking, he flicked the ball backward, and it flew into Miyagi's hands as if it had eyes.
Miyagi caught the ball, crouched down, floored the accelerator, and used his explosive power to squeeze past Hasegawa!
Without thinking, he raised his hand and tossed the ball into the air.
At this moment, Shirasawa had already rushed into the restricted area and then took flight.
Fujima could only watch helplessly from behind, unable to catch up at all.
Shirasawa grabbed the ball with one hand, swung it around, and slammed it into the basket!
A loud crash!
The basketball hoop swayed, and Shirasawa landed lightly.
The audience erupted instantly, the cheers nearly lifting the roof off.
The players on the Shohoku bench were even more excited; they knew all too well how that ball came about.
Tears were welling up behind Kogure's glasses.
Because he understood that Akagi's awakening was never just his own affair.
It's the entire team!
He can now completely entrust his back to his teammates.
No more carrying the team alone.
He only needs to do his job well, and his partners will take care of the rest.
And these guys can actually trust each other now.
This is what a team is all about!
" Akagi..." Kogure's voice trembled slightly, "You've led this group of problem children to this point!"
"When you all truly unite as one, that's when you'll be the strongest Shohoku!"
He spoke from the heart, and several substitute players next to him nodded in agreement.
Coach Anzai sat there, smiling as he adjusted his glasses.
"These past two years have really been tough for Akagi."
This may sound nonsensical, but everyone understands what it means.
On the court, Akagi slapped Sakuragi's red head, and his domineering aura returned.
"Well done, Rebound King!"
A slight smile even tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Sakuragi grinned, beaming with pride. "Of course, Gorilla! I'm a genius!"
Akagi snorted, spread his arms, and stood like a mountain under the basket.
"Bring it on Shoyo!!"
That shout was so powerful and imposing!
In the stands, Coach Taoka clicked his tongue in amazement.
" Akagi has finally found a teammate he can trust... This means his playing style will probably have to change."
"Unexpectedly, this turned out to be his trial. It'll be difficult for Hanagata to gain an advantage in the future."
Jun Uozumi nodded in agreement.
He was relieved that Akagi's traditional center-forward style hadn't been suppressed by Hanagata after all!
He and Akagi will remain the true dominant forces in the paint.
Although the two had been rivals for three years, they were actually somewhat like enemies and friends, but neither of them was willing to admit it.
Shoyo reorganized their attack.
Fujima was starting to feel uneasy.
Since the start of the competition, he has been letting Shirasawa attack alone.
But Shirasawa's firepower still exceeded his expectations.
By this point in the game, Shirasawa had scored 24 points by himself, and his hand was getting hotter and hotter.
Fortunately, Shoyo's offense managed to keep the score close.
Fujima had thought that if they could hold on for a few more rounds, Shohoku would definitely collapse.
Shirasawa's mentality will be affected to some extent. Even if his mentality doesn't collapse, his physical strength won't be able to support him to keep fighting like this.
But right at this critical juncture, the entire Shohoku team seemed to suddenly wake up!
The light returned to everyone's eyes.
This is definitely the last thing Fujima wanted to see.
The upcoming matches are likely to be tough.
In the instant that Fujima was distracted, Shirasawa suddenly darted forward and reached out to grab it!
That was a quick and ruthless strike, cutting right onto the ball!
Fujima's heart tightened, and he reacted quickly, lunging sideways towards the rolling ball.