Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 303: Rukawa Kaede's Ambition and the Highest Level of American Basketball

"Bang, bang..."

Amid the chirping of cicadas, the sound of basketballs hitting the ground could be heard from the basketball hall of Shonan High School.

"It's already holiday time, is anyone still playing in there? I remember the national competition should be over..."

After the holiday, Mitsui Hisashi came back from Fukazawa Sports University to visit the old campus. He looked into the stadium with curiosity, and saw Rukawa Kaede with a stern face sweating as he dribbled the ball through one obstacle cone after another, then rushed to the restricted area under the basket and jumped up, and then glided and pulled the lever to slowly put the ball into the basket.

"Huh..." After landing, Rukawa wiped the sweat from his forehead gently, turned his head to look at the basketball on the ground. When he was about to pick it up and continue training, he happened to see Mitsui Hisashi standing at the door.

"Hey, Rukawa, you're still training?" Mitsui Shou, who was discovered, walked into the gymnasium with a big step, looked at Rukawa in front of him with a smile and said, "The national competition is over, why are you still training so hard?"

"Yeah." Rukawa Kaede hummed softly, nodded slightly to Mitsui Shou as a greeting, and then patted the basketball with both hands to prepare to start the next round of training.

"Seeing you training here, I feel a little itchy..." Mitsui suddenly took off his coat with a smile, picked up a ball from the rack, and said to Rukawa Kaede in front of him, "Come on, it's no fun to train alone. I'll practice with you. It's 11 points, and three points count as two goals."

"Hmm..." Rukawa looked at Mitsui Shou and hesitated for a moment, then walked to the top of the three-point arc, looked at Mitsui Shou with open arms and said, "Come on."

"This kid...his defensive pressure is more terrifying than some college players..." Mitsui Shou stood outside the three-point line, dribbling the ball slowly, looking at Rukawa with serious eyes and muttered to himself.

"Senior Mitsui, even though it's just a one-on-one game, an offensive round also has a time limit." Rukawa Kaede slowly spoke as he looked at Mitsui Shou who was dribbling outside the three-point line looking for an offensive opportunity.

"This kid, except for being a little taller, hasn't changed at all in other aspects..." Mitsui Shou was amused by Rukawa Kaede's sudden remarks. The casualness in his eyes gradually disappeared, replaced by a serious and solemn look.

"boom!"

Just as Rukawa took a step forward and was about to steal the ball, Mitsui Hisaya seized the opportunity accurately. He made a big crossover to switch the ball from his right hand to his left hand, and then he exerted force with his legs and passed by Rukawa's right hand.

"It seems that your defense needs to be improved, Rukawa~" Mitsui looked back at Rukawa with a smile and said, "Even an old man like me can easily pass you~"

"It's still early, Mitsui-senpai." Rukawa Kaede's expression didn't change at all. After responding in a calm tone, he suddenly reached out for Mitsui's back with his right hand and stabbed the basketball like a sword.

"What a quick steal!" Mitsui Hisashi narrowed his eyes and looked at the basketball that slipped out of his hands. He immediately quickened his pace and grabbed the basketball in his arms before Rukawa Kaede.

"You're dead, Senior Mitsui." Rukawa's tall figure stuck to Mitsui like a leech. A strong sense of defensive pressure enveloped Mitsui like an invisible giant net.

"If you want to force me to die, it's too early for you!" Facing Rukawa Kaede's extremely oppressive defense, Mitsuimon raised the corners of his mouth slightly, jumped back suddenly with his legs, raised his hand outside the three-point line and aimed the ball towards the basket.

"Don't even think about shooting!" Rukawa's eyes narrowed slightly, he took a step forward and jumped up, his tall body firmly blocking Mitsui Hisashi and the basket.

"This guy... his height growth over the past year was not in vain..." Mitsui Shou's eyes flashed with a trace of relief as he muttered to himself, "But as for me, senior... this year was not in vain either!"

As Mitsui's words fell, in front of Rukawa's surprised eyes, Mitsui leaned back slightly, forming a 60-degree angle with the ground in the air, successfully avoiding Rukawa's block, and then gently pushed the ball out.

"Shh!"

Soon, as the basketball drew a precise arc in the air and fell towards the basket, the sound of the basketball passing the net also sounded behind Rukawa Kaede.

"Haha, I got two points, Rukawa." Mitsui pointed at Rukawa with a proud look on his face and said, "You still need to work harder on defensive training~"

"One point." The defeated Rukawa looked fixedly at the feet of Mitsui Shou and suddenly spoke.

"What?" Mitsui Shou, who was unable to react for a moment, asked in confusion.

"You stepped on the line on that three-point shot just now, so it's one point." Rukawa Kaede said seriously, pointing at Mitsui's feet.

"What the hell? I just felt guilty about three points. Can't you just afford to lose?" Mitsui Shou retorted with an unhappy look on his face.

"I won't lie about basketball. One point is one point." Rukawa Kaede said seriously to Mitsui Shou.

"Humph! One point is one point!" Mitsui Shou's fighting spirit was completely ignited at this moment. He came to the top of the three-point arc with his arms open, staring at Rukawa Kaede and said, "Even if you just missed the ball, I can still make more three-pointers for you to see!"

"Then let's give it a try!" Rukawa held the ball outside the three-point line and made a triple threat. He stared at Mitsui Shou and said in a deep voice, "Although Senior Mitsui has already entered the university, I just want to confirm... How strong am I compared to the Japanese university players!"

… “No more fighting, no more fighting…” An hour later, Mitsui Shou, who was defeated by the serious Rukawa Kaede with a score of 11:4, bent over and supported his knees, breathing heavily, and waved his hands at Rukawa Kaede, saying, “You kid… are really merciless!”

"Sorry, Senior Mitsui." Rukawa Kaede lowered his head and played with the basketball in his hand, and said in a deep voice with a hint of barely perceptible excitement in his tone.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. This is a competitive sport. If you're new to it, you need to practice more." Mitsui Shou sat down on the ground, supporting himself with his hands, and said to Rukawa with a smile, "But I'm very surprised. Your current ability is second only to the Generation of Miracles in Japan... Why are you still working so hard? Do you want to surpass the Generation of Miracles?"

"The Generation of Miracles is indeed very strong..." Rukawa's cold eyes suddenly flickered, and he said in a gloomy tone, "But in the end, it's only in a basketball desert like Japan..."

"Neighborhood is a basketball desert?" Mitsui raised his eyebrows in surprise, looked at Rukawa Kaede with a playful look and said, "Could it be that you want to impact the United States like Kaneki Ken?"

"To be honest, I really want to challenge the United States..." Rukawa's tone revealed his undisguised ambition, "As early as a year ago, I wanted to try the intensity of American basketball...but Coach Anton stopped me at that time."

"What did Coach Anton say?" Mitsui asked curiously.

"Coach Anton said... let me become the first person under the miracle before trying to impact American basketball..." Rukawa Kaede tapped the basketball twice, then stood outside the three-point line and threw the ball into the basket cleanly, then turned his head to look at Mitsui Shou and said in a deep voice, "Now, I have once again stood at the top of Japanese basketball. I think it's time for me to try to impact American basketball... Zebei Rongzhi can do it, so there's no reason why I can't."

"The United States..." Mitsui Shou looked at Rukawa Kaede who was looking forward to it, and said with a complicated tone, "Have you been paying attention to American basketball recently?"

"No." Rukawa shook his head honestly and said, "I think as long as I become strong enough, I don't have to worry about what kind of opponents I will face in the future."

"What a confident statement..." Mitsui Shou shook his head helplessly, looked at Rukawa Kaede and said with a smile, "The Zebei Rongzhi you mentioned also encountered Oak Hill High School led by Kaneki Kensho after entering the American high school..."

"Then what?" Rukawa Kaede's expression changed slightly, and he asked with a hint of curiosity in his tone.

"180 to 36, a five-fold victory." Mitsui Shou sighed, "Kaneki Ken didn't even get a chance to shoot, and the two players beside him had already frozen Zebei Rongzhi on the court - and that was when Zebei Rongzhi had almost no ball possession on the court and was just a simple dribbling guard."

"Dribbling... guard?" Rukawa listened to Mitsui's story silently. His hands stopped playing with the basketball unconsciously. He looked at Mitsui with a puzzled expression and asked, "Are you sure it's not a point guard?"

"Forget about controlling the ball. At least from the TV broadcast, that guy Zebei Rongzhi had some difficulties in bringing the ball across half court safely." Mitsuimon slowly got up and said, "Of course, I'm not saying this to make you retreat, but to let you know how big the gap is between our Japanese basketball and American basketball. Not everyone is the Miracle Generation... let alone Kaneki Ken. If you still choose to attack the United States knowing the huge gap in basketball levels between the two countries, then I can only say that your current level is still a bit immature... Get stronger, Rukawa Kaede. Defeating a general or even an extended-line player is not something to be proud of... Your current goal is to be as close to the normal miracle as possible on the court. Only in this way can you avoid being hit and giving up basketball after going to the United States."

"I understand, Senior Mitsui." Rukawa nodded heavily and said, "I will train harder..."

"Don't worry about training... Let's watch Kaneki Ken's game first." Mitsui Shou, who was sitting on the ground, waved his hand nonchalantly, smiled at Rukawa Kaede, pointed at the screen of his mobile phone and said, "Today happens to be the day when Kaneki Ken leads his team to play in the All-American High School Finals. I heard that the guy on the opposite side seems to be a popular rookie... Everyone is predicting who will win this game."

"Of course it's Kaneki Ken." Rukawa answered without hesitation, "Kanki Ken's current level is far beyond that of high school students... Even in the basketball paradise of the United States!"

"Haha, it seems that you think the same as I do..." Mitsui Shou smiled and looked at the scoreboard in the lower right corner of the screen and said, "It seems that Oak Hill High School will win another big victory today..."

……

"It looks like today is another big win for our Oak Hill High School..." At this time, Ken Kaneki, who was in the Lower Merion High School stadium, had no idea that his old teammates on the other side of the ocean were concentrating on watching the game. At this moment, he was staring at Kobe Bryant in front of him with a smile on his face and spoke slowly.

"The referee hasn't even said the game is over yet, and you're so eager to pop the champagne at halftime?" Kobe Bryant raised his eyebrows slightly, stared at Kaneki Ken's side with sharp eyes, and said loudly, "I've already said that I'm going to beat you in this game no matter what... Have you forgotten?"

As Kobe Bryant's voice fell, a dark figure in a white jersey suddenly slipped along the baseline to the basket, stomped his feet hard in the paint area and jumped up.

"This guy... is he really trying to pass the ball?" Kaneki Ken narrowed his eyes and stared at Kobe Bryant who was constantly drifting towards the penalty area, muttering to himself, "So this guy has finally realized that he can't beat me without relying on the strength of his teammates, right?"

"You're too arrogant, Kaneki Ken." Kobe Bryant keenly caught the moment when Kaneki Ken was distracted, and he suddenly threw the ball with his right hand, and slid past Kaneki Ken in one step. "How dare you be distracted when playing against me... Even if it's Michael, if he dares to be distracted on the court, I can beat him up!"

"If Michael hears what you said, you'll be in big trouble when you enter the NBA!" Kaneki Ken simply adjusted his steps and blocked Kobe Bryant again. His tall body was like a mountain, blocking Kobe Bryant's way to break through.

"It seems that this kid has not only grown taller in the past year..." Michael Jordan said as he looked at Kaneki Ken's sophisticated positioning in the middle of the court, "even his defensive choices have become much simpler than before... It seems that in the past year or so, the opponents this kid has encountered are not all bad... It's interesting, has Asia, a basketball desert, produced so many basketball geniuses?"

"Crench!"

As the sound of the soles of shoes rubbing violently against the ground was heard, Kobe Bryant on the court jumped up to face Kaneki Ken's extremely oppressive defense, slowly raised the ball in the air, and looked at the basket above his head with a firm gaze.

"The technical level of both the offense and defense is superb..." The Lakers scout on the sidelines looked at the field with a serious look and said, "These two guys can already symbolize the highest level of American youth basketball!"

(End of this chapter)