Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 291 You bullied me when I wasn't tall, and you still bully me now that I've grown tall.
As basketball players, while pursuing victory, they often have to face a common enemy – injuries.

For those unfortunate players, injuries can mean a long period of recovery, or even the end of their basketball career.

Akagi was undoubtedly lucky; the soft tissue contusion was only a minor injury, and he would recover after a period of rest.

However, to avoid injuries, one would need to have maximum injury resistance like Kogure to survive intense matches.

After confirming that Akagi had calmed down, Kogure took a deep breath and said, "Akagi, we'll head back now. You should rest here!"

Akagi waved his hand, trying to appear indifferent, but a hint of disappointment inevitably showed in his eyes.

He desperately wanted to fight alongside his teammates and win the national championship for the team.

However, the harsh reality forced him to accept the fact that he could not play.

Kogure noticed Akagi's disappointment and patted him on the shoulder, saying firmly, "Don't worry, Akagi, we'll come back to visit you this afternoon with the championship trophy."

Akagi's teammates assured him that they would perform at their best in the match and live up to his expectations.

Hearing his teammates say that, Akagi felt a warm feeling well up inside him.

At that moment, Mitsui confidently pointed to himself, revealing two gleaming front teeth.

"Gorilla, with me, the second-in-command, assisting Kogure, I guarantee we'll win the national championship!"

"Damn it, Mitsui, I'm the team's second-in-command, and don't call me a gorilla!"

Akagi grumbled and cursed, but surprisingly, he didn't attack Mitsui.

Soon, apart from Ayako staying behind to take care of Akagi, Kogure and the others left the ward one after another.

As he watched his teammates disappear, Akagi looked somewhat forlorn.

"I'm so envious of Akagi, he gets to spend time alone with Aya."

In the corridor, Miyagi's eyes gleamed with envy, jealousy, and hatred, wishing he could take her place.

I never expected that being injured would lead to such good fortune.

Beside him, Mitsui wagged his index finger and teased, "Miyagi, you shouldn't overthink it. Given your position on the team, even if you get injured, Ayako won't take care of you. You should focus on basketball!"

"Mitsui is right!"

The Shohoku players, including Kogure, all gave Mitsui a thumbs up.

"you……"

Miyagi glared angrily at his teammates, yet he couldn't refute them.

He was clearly devastated because he realized his teammates were right!

"Let's talk about it when you become a key player on the team."

"I must become a key player!"

Miyagi clenched his fist, feeling a renewed sense of motivation.

However, he seemed to be taking things too lightly.

Just as Kogure and the others were about to go downstairs, they faintly heard a familiar voice coming from a hospital room.

Kogure stopped instinctively and looked towards the ward.

The ward door was open, and from his angle, he could see a familiar figure leaning against the hospital bed.

Moroboshi Dai!
Besides Dai Moroboshi, he also had two teammates.

On the hospital bed, Moroboshi Dai's knees were wrapped in bandages.

When Kogure stopped, the other Shohoku players also stopped.

They followed Kogure's gaze and paid close attention to Moroboshi Dai.

At the same time, Dai Moroboshi also saw Kogure and the others.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, and the air seemed to freeze.

What I fear the most is that the air will suddenly become quiet!
"Hey, isn't this the stretcher-bearer war god?!"

Mitsui's teasing voice broke the silence.

"Mitsui, your mouth is like it's blessed; it's easy to get punched!"

Kogure expressed his helplessness, not knowing whether it was because he had unleashed his true nature or because it was meant to be this way, but in any case, Mitsui was becoming more and more deserving of a beating.

Here's the problem: if you're really capable, being arrogant is one thing.

The key question is, besides kicking trash cans, who can Mitsui beat?
"Damn Mitsui, wait till I recover from my injuries, I'll teach you a lesson!"

Upon hearing the title "God of Stretchers," Moroboshi Dai was instantly furious.

I don't know which bastard gave him such a nickname.

Thinking of this, Moroboshi Dai looked at Mitsui with suspicion in his eyes.

He believes Mitsui is the prime suspect!
At this moment, Kogure coughed deliberately and began to change the subject: "Ahem, Morohoshi, how is your injury?"

"It's nothing, just a minor injury!"

Moroboshi Dai held his head high, unimpressed.

He wasn't lying; the injury wasn't serious, and his teammates were simply reacting to the stress.

Yes, as soon as Moroboshi Dai is injured and falls down, his teammates will immediately put him on a stretcher!
Given Moroboshi's long history of misconduct, and the fact that he was shouting so loudly back then, Ai and the players subconsciously assumed he had a serious injury.

Thinking about this, Moroboshi Dai couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

Because the pain was really unbearable at the time, but after a while, it didn't hurt as much anymore.

To avoid an awkward situation, Moroboshi Daisuke also changed the subject: "By the way, what are you guys doing here too?"

Kogure didn't hide anything and told Akagi about his injury.

Upon learning that Akagi had also been injured, Moroboshi Dai found solace.

As long as he's not the only one who got hurt!

Then Moroboshi Dai became somewhat gloating, believing that Shohoku would probably only reach the runner-up position.

We are still in the era of center-dominant teams, and the importance of an excellent center to a team is self-evident.

Without Akagi, Shohoku's interior defense, relying solely on Naito, is no match for Sannoh.

Naito has only been playing basketball for six months and is still a beginner. He lacks experience and is unable to independently support Shohoku's inside system.

As for the other interior players in Shohoku, it seems like none of them are capable of playing.

"why are you laughing?"

Seeing the sudden smile on Moroboshi Dai's face, Mitsui felt that the other person was like a fool.

"I suddenly remembered something funny!"

Moroboshi tried his best to hide his smile, but the upturned corners of his mouth couldn't be concealed.

Mitsui could easily see through Moroboshi Dai's thoughts, and couldn't help but stare at Moroboshi Dai with the eyes of someone looking at a fool.

"You're crazy! If we lose the game, doesn't that mean your team is even worse?!"

Morohoshi Dai remained silent, because he felt that this statement made a lot of sense.

Anyone with common sense knows that losing to the champion carries significantly more weight.

I'd rather lose to the champion than to the runner-up, especially to a certain future six-time runner-up, the 'Wandering Emperor', who wishes to remain anonymous!
Kogure couldn't help but shake his head: "Alright, let's go back. Moroboshi, you should stay here and recover from your injuries."

Soon, Kogure led the way and left.

After Kogure left, Moroboshi Dai struggled to get up.

"Moroboshi, do you need to use the restroom?"

"Help me up, I want to go watch the game!"

"The coach said that your most important thing right now is to recover from your injury."

"This little injury is nothing, I'm going to the stadium to cheer for Shohoku!"

"What???"

The two players from Aihe exchanged a glance, both feeling puzzled.

Even though they were eliminated by Shohoku, they still cheered for Shohoku?
Go against Tiangang!

They began to suspect that Dai Moroboshi's brain had been damaged by a basketball.

"Hurry up and help me up!"

Osaka Nagai Multi-purpose Arena!
In the afternoon, half an hour before the competition was scheduled to begin, the arena was already packed with people and filled with noise.

"The Mountain King! The Mountain King!"

"Shobei! Shobei!"

As the two teams emerged from the players' tunnel, the entire stadium erupted in a frenzy of cheers.

This shows just how much the audience was looking forward to this match.

Judging from the sounds at the scene, the two sides were evenly matched.

However, judging from the level of support for the players, Kogure is the most vocal.

Kogure's fan club displayed their frenzy, occupying nearly two stands.

Since Kanagawa is not far from Osaka, most of Kogure's personal guards came to the scene.

In addition, thanks to Kogure's outstanding performance in the first two games, many female fans in Osaka spontaneously joined the fan club.

Kogure also spotted a familiar figure in the bodyguard—Mai Kuraki!
At this moment, she is cheering for Kogure.

To everyone's surprise, Mai Kuraki sided with Kogure. It's unknown what Kawada, as a relative, will think.

This perfectly illustrates the idea that good looks are everything!

Besides Kogure's fan club, many friends and family members also came to the scene spontaneously, such as the Horita Tokuo trio, the Akagi Haruko trio, the mustachioed shopkeeper, Matsui Koji, Sakuragi, Yohei, Tetsuo, Rukawa Kaede, and so on.

By the way, "wait" here refers to the trio of idiots.

In addition, Kogure also discovered his parents.

They were standing next to Haruko; they had clearly come together.

At this moment, Haruko was chatting with Kogure's mother.

It's unclear what Kogure's mother said, but Haruko seemed quite shy, completely unlike her usual lively self.

When they noticed that Kogure was looking in their direction, his parents quickly waved to him.

"Gongyan, keep it up!"

"We will definitely be the champions!"

With his parents' encouragement, Kogure felt a surge of warmth in his heart and felt better than ever before.

"Hey, where's Akagi from Shohoku?"

It wasn't until then that many viewers noticed that Shohoku was missing a player.

Akagi's height and appearance are so striking that they leave a deep impression on many viewers.

Coach Domoto, sitting on the Sannoh bench, naturally noticed this problem as well.

"It seems Akagi is really injured!"

Coach Domoto muttered to himself. Not long ago, he had heard a rumor that Akagi was injured and hospitalized.

He was initially skeptical, but now he believes.

"Such a good opportunity, of course we can't let it slip by!"

Coach Domoto immediately made a decision.

Sannoh Industrial has an advantage in the paint, so he decided to focus on inside offense in this game.

It would be even better if Naito could be sent off.

When that time comes, the Mountain King will surely win!

Soon, both sides finished warming up and began their final pep talk.

On the Shohoku bench, Coach Anzai looked at the players standing in front of him and began to announce the starting lineup.

"Kugure, Naito, Yamamoto Kuma, Mitsui and Okamoto Nobuhiko."

Coach Anzai paused for a moment, then continued, "Kogure, you will replace Akagi as center!"

"Row!"

Kogure had no objection; for him, the position didn't matter.

He's truly skilled in all five positions!

He also played center last year and performed exceptionally well.

After a final pep talk, the players from both sides took to the field.

Sannoh Industrial
Center: Masashi Kawata, 192 cm tall, 90 kg, second-year student
Ito Yu, 193 cm tall, 89 kg, third grade
Kozen: Eiji Sawakita, 184 cm tall, 75 kg, first grader
Shooting Guard: Minoru Matsumoto, 183 cm tall, 76 kg, second-year student
Point Guard: Kazunari Fukatsu, 180 cm, 74 kg, second year
At the referee's signal, the two teams began the jump ball.

When Kawada realized that the person standing in front of him was Kogure, his heart sank!

"You bullied me when I wasn't tall, and you still bully me now that I've grown taller. Does that mean all my growth was for nothing?"

At this moment, Okawada's mind was filled with muttered thoughts.

It's no wonder that Kawada thinks that way; every time he plays against Shohoku, his opponent is always Kogure.

I finally became the team's center, and I thought I wouldn't have to face Kogure again, but it's him again!
He felt that he and Kogure were incompatible, and wondered if it was too late to switch places.
On the Sannoh bench, Coach Domoto frowned, surprised that Coach Anzai would send Kogure to center.

Coach Anzai is cunning and shrewd; this move completely disrupted Coach Domoto's plans, rendering his targeted attacks ineffective.

It was at this moment that the referee tossed the ball into the air, parallel to the ground.

Since Kawada was still in a daze, Kogure easily won the jump ball.

Soon, Nobuhiko Okamoto dribbled the ball past midfield.

To avoid being targeted, he passed the ball to Kogure, who was positioned low, without hesitation.

As the team's ace, the first ball must be taken by Kogure.

When Kogure received the ball, his teammates quickly spread out, giving him a better chance to play one-on-one.

The Sannoh players all looked at Kawata with helpless expressions, thinking, "Better to let my friend suffer than me."

"bring it on!"

Kawada was very flustered, but he still mustered up his courage and went to meet him.

In order to limit Kogure's performance, they even manipulated him.

Compared to the Winter Tournament, Kawata has made considerable progress.

However, it was all for naught; Kogure's progress was significantly greater.

That's the difference between a cheat and a genius!
Kogure quickly adjusted his position and began attempting to back down Kawata.

Bang~bang~
Kogure began to exert force, and a dull thud sounded between the two.

Kawada felt a tightness in his chest, but he gritted his teeth and refused to back down.

This time, he doesn't want to back out!
However, at that moment, Kogure made a movement to turn to the right.

Kawada quickly moved to the side, but it turned out to be a feint by Kogure.

After successfully shaking off Kawada, Kogure turned around on the other side and easily broke through.

Bang~
Kogure leaped into the air and unleashed a tomahawk dunk.

Kawada was helpless in the face of this!

Kogure displayed excellent form right from the start of the match.

Hua Hua Hua~
The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers, applauding Kogure's outstanding performance.

Offense and defense reversed!

Soon, Fukatsu steadily dribbled the ball past midfield, preparing to organize the team's attack.

"Give me the ball!"

Sawakita leaned against Yamamoto and asked Fukatsu for the ball.

In this match, Zebei's offensive desire was at an all-time high.

"These first-graders these days are so rude!"

Fukatsu said that, but his actions spoke louder than words, and he still passed the ball over.

(End of this chapter)