Basketball Weekly has had a tough time these past few days...
They still haven't given in to Sanae. They bet everything on Shoyo, and they lost the bet.
With Shoyo's collapse, both its sales and reputation plummeted.
Their club president was also stubborn, determined to fight Shohoku to the end, and refused to publish any news related to Shohoku no matter what.
Take this game for example. Before the game, Basketball Weekly's hype focused entirely on Kainan, without mentioning Shohoku at all.
What's the point of just praising Kainan? Readers are already tired of it.
But they have a way of doing things: instead of writing about the team, they write about player gossip.
Things like "The Mystery of Shinichi Maki's Skin Color" and " Nobunaga Kiyota's Bizarre Training Methods"...
Especially the one about Kiyota, the accompanying picture was of him chasing his own dog all over the street.
They managed to twist this trivial matter into a "unique speed training method."
When Coach Riki Takato saw the newspaper, he almost tore Kiyota apart.
"Are you bored?! Why are you racing a dog?! Where's your shame?!"
Kiyota, with a mournful face, swore to the heavens that he simply lost control of the leash while walking the dog that day, and of course he had to chase after it...
In short, Basketball Weekly is on a downward trend, but it's not without hope.
Either Kainan wins this game, or they have to swallow their pride and go to Sanae, begging her to cooperate with Shirasawa and Shohoku.
Right now, they are clearly counting on the former.
Half an hour before the start of the game, in the Shohoku locker room.
Coach Anzai was giving instructions on tactics. Usually at this time, Takenori Akagi would be standing next to the coach like an iron tower.
But today, he was sitting with his teammates, and his expression seemed off.
However, apart from Kogure, no one noticed.
Kogure would steal glances at Akagi every now and then, his eyes filled with worry.
Akagi's expression was neither the apprehension he had before the match against Shoyo, nor the tension he felt when facing Kainan.
He was in pain.
The entire Shohoku team has been training incredibly hard these past few days, especially Hisashi Mitsui, who's practically treating himself like he's not human.
Akagi was naturally pleased to see this, but it also made him, as the captain, work even harder.
He dared not relax, his mind filled with the need to become stronger and to support his teammates in the paint.
But fate didn't let him off the hook this time.
Just last night, after the team finished training and everyone left, Akagi stayed behind to do extra training.
Logically, he should have rested well before the competition, but he just couldn't calm down.
Challenging Kainan was something he had always dreamed of; now that the opportunity was right in front of him, how could he sit still?
Unable to dissuade him, Kogure simply stayed to train with him.
The two agreed to only do basic exercises and avoid high-intensity activities to prevent affecting their physical strength.
Akagi had probably been training too intensely, and he was already exhausted.
Just as he was landing after jumping to shoot inside, his ankle twisted with a "crack," and he crashed to the ground with a thud.
Kogure was terrified and rushed him to the hospital.
Fortunately, the examination revealed it was just a common sprain, and it will heal in a few days with rest.
But for Shohoku, let alone a few days, they'll have to beat Kainan as soon as it's light!
Akagi is absolutely essential!
So before leaving home this morning, he had Haruko wrap his swollen ankle, which looked like a steamed bun, with bandages and tape, layer by layer, like a rice dumpling.
Haruko cried as she clung to him, sobbing uncontrollably.
Akagi gently rubbed his younger sister's head.
"It's nothing, just a minor injury. They call me 'the Gorilla, ' you know."
This was the first time he had accepted this nickname, perhaps to reassure his sister and to encourage himself.
But the name " Gorilla " doesn't sound quite right now.
Only Kogure and Haruko knew about this.
Akagi absolutely cannot let his teammates notice his injury. In this crucial game, he must be Shohoku's pillar under the basket!
We need to let our teammates charge forward without any worries!
Akagi is tough enough, but the pain is real.
He hadn't stood for long when his ankle started to ache, so he made an exception and sat down.
He didn't get up until Coach Anzai finished speaking.
In ten minutes, the whole team will be on the field.
At that moment, Kogure pulled Akagi into the stairwell.
" Akagi, this time I'm not going to let you get away with this." Kogure stared at him, his tone resolute.
Kogure was indeed worried all night, but seeing Akagi standing there unharmed in the morning put him at ease.
But he had seen it clearly just now; the way Akagi was enduring the pain didn't make him seem like he was alright at all.
The image of Hisashi Mitsui suddenly flashed through Kogure's mind.
Three years ago, that kid also sprained his ankle, which almost ended his basketball career.
After much deliberation, he resolved that he absolutely could not let Akagi act recklessly this time!
"It's really nothing, Kogure, don't worry about it. My ankle is fine." Akagi waved his hand, his tone curt.
"What's so good about it!" Kogure rarely raised his voice. "You could barely stand just now. What if something terrible happens if you go up to fight in that condition?"
He took a breath and continued, "So what if we lose to Kainan? The doctor said you'll be fine after a few days of rest. We'll fight our way through Ryonan, and even a runner-up finish will get us into the national competition!"
" Akagi, I'm begging you, please don't try to force me, okay?"
Akagi's brows furrowed. He understood, of course, that Kogure meant well, but at this critical juncture, how could he back down?
"You're overthinking it!" Akagi's voice turned somber. "I know my own body best. It's almost time to go on stage, go back."
He finished speaking and turned to leave.
" Akagi!" Kogure cried out anxiously, "Don't be so stubborn! You... you still have a future!"
As soon as he shouted the words, Kogure's eyes welled up with tears.
Yes, Akagi has a long future ahead of him; he is destined to continue on the path of basketball.
But what about Kiminobu Kogure? He might still be involved with basketball in the future, but he probably won't be able to become a basketball player.
He knew his own limitations better than anyone else.
So this county competition might just be his only chance in his life.
Of course he wanted Akagi to play, of course he wanted to beat Kainan, and of course he wanted to give it his all in this basketball dream that might be fleeting.
But compared to Akagi's future, as his brother, he would rather let go of his own little wish.
He was always the Yoko that complemented Akagi, and he was willing to accept it.
Everyone says that basketball is no game without brothers, but between him and Akagi, it's been more than just basketball for a long time.
This time, the daydreamer decided to bow to reality.
Kogure's words made Akagi stop in his tracks.
He knew how much determination it must have taken for Kogure to say that.
But that's precisely why he can't back down!
This year marks their last high school years Kogure.
This year's Shohoku is also the strongest.
The dream has progressed to this point, and it seems we're about to achieve it.
He couldn't ruin this opportunity himself, he couldn't let Kogure give up, and he couldn't let down his teammates who had shed so much sweat!
" Kogure," Akagi turned around, his voice low but firm, "For the past three years, every night before I went to sleep, I thought about going to war with Kainan."
"I'm thinking about how to lead the team to overthrow their dynasty."
"I'm dreaming of the day we dominate the whole country."
"We've come this far today, how can you expect me to let go?"
His tone grew increasingly harsh, like an unbreakable stone.
"Even if my leg is broken, it's okay, my teammates are waiting for me. The future is too far away, I only care about the present!"
There was no room for negotiation.
Akagi's words struck Kogure's heart, making his chest tremble.
Kogure knows best the feeling of a dream about to come true.
Since that's the case, he has no choice but to follow Akagi down this path to the bitter end.
"I'm truly impressed by your stubbornness, you stubborn gorilla." Kogure smiled wryly and shook his head.
"Let me re-tie your feet for you. Haruko isn't strong enough, so I can't tie them tightly."
"But you have to promise me that you'll come down when you can't hold on any longer!"
Akagi's expression relaxed, and a slight smile appeared on his face.
"Become."
The scene in the locker room in Kainan was quite different.
Riki Takato the door open and went in. When he saw the scene inside, he felt extremely satisfied.
Shinichi Maki Shen sat on the stool with an imposing air, shirtless, sweat dripping down his cleavage.
All the Kainan Team stood neatly behind him.
The locker room was deathly silent, with an oppressive atmosphere.
That's Shinichi Maki's skill.
His dominance extends beyond the football field, and extends even further into this small room.
Riki Takato loved this kind of imposing presence.
This is the demeanor of a true king.
When prey appears, these wolf cubs will pounce on it immediately and tear it apart!
On the Shohoku side, the challengers were still doing their final relaxation exercises.
But what about Kainan? Their training only stopped a minute ago.
Shinichi Maki trained the most fiercely.
The entire team is now fully in battle mode.
This, of course, also relies on Riki Takato.
Other teams just need to warm up and get warmed up before the game.
In Kainan, they insisted on training like crazy, pushing their bodies to their peak condition.
They dare to expend so much energy because Riki Takato's usual training is utterly inhumane.
But all strong teams are like this; physical fitness is the foundation of victory.
Tactics and performance all depend on physical stamina.
The training in Kainan was scary enough, but what happened at Sannoh Industrial High School was even more outrageous.
Eiji Sawakita, the nation's top high school student, even secretly ran away from Sannoh once during his first year because the training was too intense...
The consequences, well, are predictable...
You can imagine how terrifying Sannoh's training regimen is.
Actually, Ryonan is pretty much the same.
Shohoku was just lucky to have Coach Anzai, who advocated for fun and enjoyable basketball.
However, it was a lucky accident. Coach Anzai didn't push training too hard, but the guys who joined Shohoku were all physical monsters...
" Maki, are you ready?" Riki Takato asked casually, fanning himself, as if asking if he had eaten.
Shinichi Maki grinned, his smile somewhat menacing.
"I can't wait any longer."
Bang! Bang!
The doors to the player tunnels on both sides of the field opened simultaneously.
The two teams made their appearance.
As soon as they entered, cheers erupted.
The stands were the same as always, with fans from Kainan and Shohoku each occupying half the space, neither willing to concede to the other. The Kainan side had unfurled a purple banner with just four large characters. "Invincible Kainan." The slogan was simple and direct, but it exuded confidence.
The fans on both sides were shouting at each other, but as soon as Shirasawa appeared, the momentum from the Shohoku side was instantly overshadowed. Even Shinichi Maki's limelight was overshadowed at this moment.
The two teams faced off on the field, with Takenori Akagi and Shinichi Maki standing face to face, their auras evenly matched. Haruko Akagi in the stands already had tears in her eyes; she had been worried about her brother's foot injury.