Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 246: Old Friends Confrontation and Self-Awakening

"Congratulations, little Heizi... and little Kagami."

At the parade at the end of the game, Kise Ryota forced a smile, tightly held Kagami Taiga's hand and said, "Just keep winning like this... Akashi-chan, Kaneki-chan..."

"Yes." Kagami Daiga tightly held Kise Ryouta's hand and said word by word, "We will always win."

"Ghana..." Huang Lailiangta took a deep breath with red eyes, turned around, waved his hand in a relaxed manner, and said, "By this time next year, I will definitely lead Kaijo High School to defeat you."

"Let's wait." Kagami Daiga said while staring into Kise Ryouta's eyes.

"Let's go, Atsushi." Himuro Tatsuya said to Murasakibara Atsushi in a complicated tone, "A reduced-power Kaneki Ken who played for less than 20 minutes can beat Kagami so hard... The thought of fighting Kaneki Ken makes my scalp tingle..."

"Hmm..." Murasakibara Atsushi snorted and muttered with a frown, "Leave it to me, I will be the Jose of Yanzi."

……

"It's over, it's over..." Mitsui Shou sighed as he watched Kise Ryouta and Kagami Taiga hugging each other and saying goodbye on the phone screen, "The next step is our match with Murasakibara Atsushi... It would be great if Akagi was still here."

"Hey? Sakuragi, Rukawa, you guys haven't left yet?" Inoue Ayako's words attracted Mitsui Hisashi's attention. Turning around, he saw Sakuragi Hanamichi still sitting there, wondering what he was thinking about, while Rukawa was sweating profusely while doing three-point training.

"Okay, Sakuragi, Rukawa, the training is over, hurry back home." Mitsui clapped his hands and said, "Although the Eastern Conference Finals are coming soon, don't push yourselves so hard."

"Xiao San, Senior Sister Ayako, you guys go out for a while." Sakuragi Hanamichi nodded without comment after hearing what Mitsui Shou said, then stood up, walked to the center of the field, looked at Rukawa Kaede and said, "I still have some things to do."

"What are you going to do?" Mitsui asked, looking at Sakuragi Hanamichi's serious expression.

"I want to make sure... whether I am qualified to be the ace of Shonan High School." Sakuragi Hanamichi slowly came to Rukawa Kaede, grabbed a basketball from the ground, stared into Rukawa Kaede's eyes and said, "Come on, stinky fox, I want to fight you to the death."

"This big idiot..." Rukawa Kaede looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi in front of him in silence, his face as gloomy as water.

"Go call Kaneki." Mitsuimon whispered into Inoue Ayako's ear, "I'll watch over here."

"Yes, Senior Mitsui." Inoue Ayako nodded, turned and walked towards the locker room.

……

"Ken-kun, what are you thinking about?" Momoi Satsuki asked Kaneki Ken who was staring out the window in a daze.

"Ah, nothing, I just feel a little reluctant..." Kaneki Ken chuckled, shook his head in self-mockery and said, "I didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, I only have two games left in Neon..."

"Yeah..." Momoi Satsuki became depressed after listening to Kaneki Ken's words, "I really can't bear to leave... A-Da, Xiao Huang... and everyone in Shonan High School..."

"Huh~" Kaneki Ken rubbed his cheek, sorted out his emotions and smiled, "While there is still a chance, give them a good beating first."

"Yeah!" Momoi Satsuki looked at Kaneki Ken who had regained his spirits, smiled and nodded heavily.

"Buzz buzz~~"

At this moment, the cell phone in Kaneki Ken's pocket suddenly rang. Kaneki Ken took out the phone curiously and saw that it was a call from Inoue Ayako.

"Strange..." Kaneki Ken answered the phone with a curious look on his face, "Hello, Ayako-senpai..."

As soon as Kaneki Ken opened his mouth, an anxious voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Stop feeding me. Where are you now?" Inoue Ayako asked impatiently.

"We are on our way back..." Kaneki Ken looked confused.

"Hurry back, Sakuragi is going to have a fight with Rukawa!" Inoue Ayako hung up the phone as soon as she finished speaking.

"Ah?" Kaneki Ken listened to Inoue Ayako's nonsensical words and stared at his phone blankly, as if he suspected that he was hallucinating.

……

"Hey hey boy, be a little more cheerful, you are celebrating, not fighting."

In a restaurant near the Osaka Stadium, Alex Garcia smiled and looked at his two proud disciples sitting below and said, "We are here today to celebrate our success in reaching the Western Conference Finals. Let's be happy."

"I'm very happy, Alex." Himuro Tatsuya chuckled and shook his head, "But I look at you... it seems that I'm not very happy."

"Himuro..." When Kagami Daigo heard Himuro Tatsuya mention him, he couldn't help but lower his head with a hint of shame on his face.

"Hey boy~" Alex Garcia patted Kagami Daigo on the back and said, "I've heard about what happened between you and Tatsuya. I asked you to come here today not only to celebrate for you, but also to completely resolve the rift between you two."

"Huh? You didn't tell me this, Alex." Himuro Tatsuya looked at Alex Garcia with some surprise.

"Didn't I tell you now?" Alex Garcia finished the last pastry in his hand, clapped his hands and said, "Let's go, before the food is served, start your 100th duel."

"No, Alex..." Kagami Daigo said in confusion, "I just finished the game..."

"It won't take too long. Just play an 11-point game..." Alex Garcia said with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, "Just like your favorite one..."

"But..." Kagami Daigo wanted to refuse, but Alex Garcia suddenly turned his head and looked at Kagami Daigo with a hint of provocation in his eyes and said, "You are not unable to do it, are you, Daigo?"

"Okay, let's fight!" The single-celled Vulcan God was aroused by Alex Garcia's words. He immediately stood up and walked towards an open-air stadium outside the restaurant.

"Alas, this kid is still as naive as before." Alex Garcia looked at Kagami Daigo's back, shrugged complacently, shook his head with a playful expression and said.

"Thank you, Alex." Himuro Tatsuya said as he looked at Alex Garcia beside him with a complicated look in his eyes.

"Stop talking nonsense. I'm your master. If I don't take care of you, who will?" Alex Garcia touched his nose proudly, raised his foot and followed the back of Kagami Daigo, and said to Himuro Tatsuya behind him, "Hurry up and catch up. After this fight, you will be brothers again."

"Yes, here I come!" Himuro Tatsuya nodded seriously and followed without saying a word.

……

"What? You said that Kagami was called away by Alex?" Aida Reiko stared blankly at Kuroko Tetsuya in front of her and yelled, "Why didn't you stop Kagami? And why didn't you tell me about this?"

"But you didn't ask before, coach..." Kuroko Tetsuya replied stupidly.

"Really..." Reiko Aida helplessly opened her cell phone and called Kagami Daigo again.

"If you ask me, Kagami shouldn't have gone far by now, right?" Koganei Shinji suddenly reminded, "It's only been half an hour since the game ended, Kagami won't have gone too far, why don't we go to the nearby stadium to look for him?"

"Yes..." Hinata Junpei finally reacted and quickly looked at Aida Reiko and said, "Reiko, you and Kuroko continue to call Kagami here, and the rest of us will go out to look for him."

At this time, Kagami Dai I, known as Kagami by everyone at Seirin High School, had taken off his coat and was standing on the court with a basketball and Himuro Tatsuya.

"OK, boys~" Alex Garcia said with a chuckle, "According to what we agreed before, this game will be played with an 11-point system, three points will count as two goals, and the serve will be changed. If you have no objection, how about we start the coin toss?"

"I have no objection." Kagami Daigo nodded and said.

"I have no objection either." Himuro Tatsuya said to Kagami Daiga with a smile.

"Yoxia~" Alex Garcia picked up a coin and walked between the two of them, tossed the coin high up, and finally decided that Kagami Daigo would kick off first.

"Come on, Taiga." Himuro Tatsuya came to the free throw line and waved at Kagami Taiga outside the three-point line.

"..." Kagami Daiga solemnly put on a triple threat posture, pursed his lips, and thought about how to play this ball. A moment later, Kagami Daiga suddenly played the ball, took a big step forward at lightning speed, and then rushed to the right side of Himuro Tatsuya like a hungry tiger.

"What A-Dun said is indeed right. The gap in talent is really hard to make up..." Himuro Tatsuya felt the pressure coming from Kagami Taiga. He adjusted his body repeatedly and stuck to Kagami Taiga's side. He smiled with relief and said, "No wonder you chose to let me go..."

"Tatsuya..." Kagami Taiga's eyes couldn't help but become a little red when he recalled the past, but the strength in his hands did not decrease at all. After a collision for a short distance, he immediately stopped and leaned back, trying to score a point before Himuro Tatsuya could react.

"You still like to use your body to play, you are older than me..." Alex Garcia sighed and shook his head, "You won't be able to get far in front of Kaneki Ken just by playing like this..."

"You'll never get far in front of Kaneki Ken with the way you play!" Himuro Tatsuya seemed to have sensed what Alex Garcia was thinking, and he slapped the ball hard. Kagami Daigo only felt a huge force coming, and the basketball escaped his control and flew out.

"Tatsuya..." Kagami Taiga stared at Himuro Tatsuya, as if he was surprised at how his brother's power had become so great. "What's there to be surprised about?" Himuro Tatsuya looked at Kagami Taiga and chuckled, "I have offensive and defensive training with Atsushi every day! I have already found the trick to defend against the offensive methods commonly used by this big guy!"

"Okay, let's do it again!" Kagami Taiwo's fighting spirit was also completely aroused. He strode out of the court to pick up the basketball and started the next attack again.

"Captain, look over there..." Just as Kagami Taiga was fighting fiercely with Himuro Tatsuya, Koganei Shinji patted Hinata Junpei's arm and said, "It seems like someone is playing basketball on that court over there..."

"Let's go and take a look." Hinata Junpei led the players of Seirin High School over without saying a word. When they stepped onto the court, Himuro Tatsuya just made a three-pointer over Kagami Daiga's head.

"Hey, you guys are here?" Himuro Tatsuya chuckled as he looked at everyone at Seirin High School and said, "Long time no see, everyone at Seirin."

"It's you?" Hinata Shunping said solemnly, "It's been a long time since we last met, Himuro Tatsuya."

"Kagami, what are you doing?" Shinji Koganei looked at Kagami Daiga with a puzzled look and asked.

"We are having a long-awaited duel." Himuro Tatsuya kicked the basketball that rolled to his feet towards Kagami Taiga, "It's your turn, Kagami."

"Huh..." Kagami Daigo took a deep breath. He seemed to understand why Himuro Tatsuya came to see him today.

……

"No way? Sakuragi actually suppressed Rukawa in a one-on-one fight?"

At this time, Inoue Ayako and Mitsui Hisashi were squatting quietly outside the stadium, secretly looking at the court through the glass on the sidelines. They saw Sakuragi Hanamichi use a bull-like collision to push Rukawa away, and then he forced a layup with Rukawa Kaede to score. The score between the two came to 10 to 8, and Sakuragi Hanamichi led by two goals.

"Hu... Hu... Hu..." At this time, Rukawa Kaede was already exhausted and out of breath. He put his hands on his waist and stared at Sakuragi Hanamichi who had his hands on his knees. His eyes were full of disbelief, as if he had not expected that Sakuragi Hanamichi, a rookie player who had just played for less than a year, could actually suppress him head-on in the duel.

"I suddenly feel a little boring, you stinky fox... I have to say, I feel a little disappointed." Sakuragi Hanamichi recalled the scene of the IH finals and sighed with disappointment, "I originally regarded you as my nemesis... but your current level... is far from being able to suppress me."

"I feel a little disappointed..."

"You can no longer suppress me..."

"In my opinion, you are not as good as Sendo-san right now..."

"First try to become the strongest high school student in Neon Country under a miracle, Rukawa Kaede..."

Sakuragi Hanamichi's disappointed words and Anton Mitsuyoshi's expectant words were like two spells, madly attacking Rukawa Kaede's mind and making him fall into deep thought for a moment.

"Forget it, you stinky fox." Sakuragi Hanamichi sighed with a sense of loss, took two steps forward, picked up the basketball on the ground and threw it to Rukawa Kaede, and said softly with a vicissitude that did not match his age, "It's your turn, stinky fox."

"Am I... too weak?" Rukawa Kaede looked at the basketball rolling on the ground, and the words Kaneki Ken had said to him emerged in his mind.

"I look forward to the day when you can defeat me with your mortal talent."

"Can mortal talent really win? Absolute talent?" Rukawa muttered to himself with lifeless eyes, "But no matter what, I've lost enough. I don't want to lose again!"

“Crunch, crunch~~”

As Rukawa Kaede finished speaking, Ikki Hanamichi suddenly felt as if a heavy door slowly opened, and Rukawa Kaede's body was suddenly covered with a layer of black air, looking as hideous and terrifying as a Shura crawling out of hell.

"Damn, what is this?" Sakuragi Hanamichi took a half step back in shock.

"This power is really exciting..." Rukawa moved his fingers, feeling the endless power coming from his body, turned his head to look at Sakuragi Hanamichi and said in a deep voice, "Come on, you idiot!"

As Rukawa Kaede finished speaking, Sakuragi Hanamichi felt a flash before his eyes and the scene around him suddenly changed drastically. When he steadied himself again, he and Rukawa Kaede in front of him were standing in a gym that looked like a ruined dojo.

"This is..." Sakuragi Hanamichi said in shock, "Field?"

"This is the domain I have cultivated through countless trials and tribulations, and through countless failures and the bitter fruit of my disgust for failure..." Rukawa Kaede looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi and spoke word by word, "This is my... Zone!"

"You stinky fox, do you think you can beat me like this?" Sakuragi Hanamichi gritted his teeth and looked at Rukawa Kaede and said, "I don't mind losing to anyone, but I just don't want to lose to you, bastard!"

"Awoo!" As a clear tiger roar sounded, Sakuragi Hanamichi's momentum suddenly soared. The area behind Rukawa Kaede suddenly shook, and an imperceptible crack appeared in the sky.

"Let me beat you down, you stinky fox!" Sakuragi Hanamichi roared, and the basketball collided with the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust. Amidst a deafening sound, Sakuragi Hanamichi's figure rushed straight towards Rukawa Kaede like a flaming meteor.

"Well done!" Rukawa narrowed his eyes, his feet firmly planted on the ground as if they had taken root. Facing the impact of Sakuragi Hanamichi, he was not easily knocked away as before. Instead, Sakuragi Hanamichi's body was paused.

"Damn it! This guy's power suddenly became so great..." Sakuragi Hanamichi muttered to himself, gritting his teeth.

"I am no longer the same person I used to be, you big idiot." Rukawa chuckled, and the shadow of a samurai with a sword drawn emerged from behind him. As his long arms cut off the basketball from Sakuragi Hanamichi's hands, a crisp sword sound rang in Sakuragi Hanamichi's ears. The cold light on the tip of the sword flashed in Sakuragi Hanamichi's vision. The basketball had escaped from Sakuragi Hanamichi's control and came into Rukawa's hands.

"Damn it... Damn it... Damn it!" Sakuragi Hanamichi roared and rushed towards Rukawa's back, but after Rukawa turned around and shook off Sakuragi Hanamichi, he held the ball with both hands, put his legs together, slightly bent his knees, took aim, and then jumped decisively and pushed the ball towards the basket. The samurai shadow behind Rukawa also drew out his longbow, bent the bow and put an arrow on it. As Rukawa completed the shot, the bowstring trembled, and the basketball gradually merged with the arrow that flew out of the string and went straight to the basket.

"Shh!"

With the crisp sound of a basketball hitting the net, the score between the two became 10 to 10.

"Hey, big idiot." After scoring, Rukawa pointed to the basket and said, "Now, the game starts again."

"What you did just now... was just a fluke..." Sakuragi Hanamichi said through gritted teeth, "I will definitely defeat you!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Rukawa Kaede said coldly.

"Ryukawa made another three-pointer, and now the score is tied!" Mitsui said sharply.

"What's the draw again?"

Just as Mitsui Hisashi and Inoue Saiko were watching the game intently, a curious voice sounded from behind them.

"It's the duel between Sakuragi and Rukawa!" Before Mitsui Shou could react, Inoue Ayako spoke first, "Do you want to come and watch it?"

"Uh... Senior Ayako..." Kaneki Ken said speechlessly, "Didn't you ask me to come here to stop Sakuragi and Rukawa?"

"Not now." Inoue Ayako waved her hand and said, "The duel between the two of them... was really exciting!"

"Oh..." Kaneki Ken looked at Inoue Ayako's cheeks which were flushed with excitement. He shook his head helplessly, squatted with the two people outside the window, and looked towards the field with curiosity.

“Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!”

At this time, Sakuragi Hanamichi was dribbling the ball cautiously outside the three-point line, his eyes fixed on Rukawa Kaede in front of him, and the phantom of the tiger behind him was also crawling on the ground, as if looking for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow; and the phantom of the samurai behind Rukawa Kaede also raised his long sword vigilantly, and slowly circled with the tiger behind Sakuragi Hanamichi.

"Ouch!"

"Drink!"

In an instant, the tiger and the warrior phantom rushed towards each other at the same time, and the figures of Sakuragi Hanamichi and Rukawa Kaede overlapped in an instant. Sakuragi Hanamichi lowered his center of gravity, and with a lightning-fast first step, he was about to break through Rukawa Kaede's defense, and Rukawa Kaede was not to be outdone, and his long arms desperately stabbed the basketball in Sakuragi Hanamichi's hand. For a moment, Sakuragi Hanamichi and Rukawa Kaede's figures were entangled together, just like the phantoms behind them biting each other.

"Damn it! In this environment, this stinky fox seems to have become a lot faster..." Sakuragi Hanamichi dodged Rukawa's steals while constantly changing his steps, trying to break through Rukawa's defensive loopholes, while constantly squeezing every bit of strength in his body, trying to force his way into the zone.

"Give up, you big idiot. If you want to beat me, you're twenty thousand years too early!" Rukawa snorted and took advantage of Sakuragi Hanamichi's carelessness when he turned around to slap the basketball. The basketball instantly escaped from Sakuragi Hanamichi's control and fell into Rukawa's hands.

"Damn, the ball was intercepted again..." Sakuragi Hanamichi chased after Rukawa Kaede unwillingly. The scene in front of him gradually became blank, and Kaneki Ken's instructions to him rang in his ears again.

"The future of Shonan High School depends on you to protect it..."

"You need to become stronger, even stronger..."

"Give me the ball, you stinky fox!"

At some point, Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes had turned red, and in his fiery red pupils, two electric flashes were burning like a raging fire. The space in the dojo around the two of them was like glass that was about to break. The cracks in the sky gradually became more obvious, more numerous, and larger, until a click sounded, and the two of them returned to the ordinary gymnasium of Shonan High School. The basketball that Rukawa had just stolen was also snatched back by Sakuragi Hanamichi.

"Not good!" Rukawa exclaimed and quickly twisted his body, trying to counterattack, but his hand was slapped away by Sakuragi Hanamichi. Then Sakuragi Hanamichi took the same step back as Rukawa and came to the three-point line. In the shocked eyes of Rukawa, he slowly pushed the ball towards the basket. With a swish, the basketball went into the net. 12 to 10, Sakuragi Hanamichi successfully defeated Rukawa.

"You really surprise me, Sakuragi." Kaneki Ken sighed as he looked at the electric light in Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes, "You are the savior of Shonan High School..."

(End of this chapter)