Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

Chapter 111 Sendoh Backs Down Rukawa

Seeing that Rukawa Kaede was about to have a one-on-one fight with Sendoh.

The players, who were originally training in various places, were all attracted by the magnet and swarmed around.

Ryota Miyagi was the first to run across from the baseline, a basketball tucked between his fingers, a wide grin spreading across his face: "Rukawa versus Sendoh? This is going to be interesting."

Yan Yi, clutching his notebook, squeezed to the front, his eyes wider than ever, muttering to himself, "I need to study Rukawa Kaede and Sendoh-senpai closely—"

On the sidelines, Shigeichi Taoka and Coach Anzai simultaneously turned their gazes toward the field from their folding chairs.

Taoka also became interested. Sendoh was the ace he had poached from Tokyo, and Rukawa was the genius he had left without even exchanging a few words with back then. He was also interested in these two facing off.

Fukuda Kichijou stood next to Sakuragi Hanamichi, his gaze fixed on the two players who had already taken their positions on the court. Suddenly, he turned to Sakuragi and asked, "Sakuragi, who do you think is better?"

Sakuragi crossed his arms and said almost without hesitation, "Sendoh."

Mitsui Hisashi leaned over from the side: "Why? In terms of skill, Rukawa is no worse than him."

He wasn't unconvinced, he was genuinely curious, after all, in his eyes Rukawa Kaede's talent was already at the ceiling level for high school students.

Sakuragi pursed his lips and gestured with his chin toward Sendoh on the court: "In terms of skills, the two of us are about the same, equally matched."

But in terms of physical strength, the current Sendoh is far stronger than the fox.

Mitsui opened his mouth to refute, but then a scene flashed through his mind: the Ryonan vs. Hainan match, with Sendoh backing down Maki Shinichi at the top of the key. He also thought about Sendoh's physical strength during their training these past few days.

He paused for a moment, then swallowed back the words he was about to say, and nodded slightly: "Okay! You're right."

The one-on-one match begins. Rukawa goes first. He holds the ball at the top of the arc, and Sendoh lowers his center of gravity to close in, the lazy smile on his lips completely gone.

Rukawa took a step forward with his right foot, changed direction, and accelerated. His first step was faster than in the prefectural tournament finals, and his shoes screeched sharply against the wooden floor.

However, Sendoh's lateral movement followed perfectly, his footwork and center of gravity locking the position in advance.

Rukawa stopped abruptly and pulled up for a jump shot. Sendoh jumped at the same time, his hand precisely blocking the ball's trajectory. The ball bounced off the rim.

Offense and defense transition. Sendoh has the ball, and Rukawa closes in. The defensive intensity is even fiercer than on offense; Rukawa's defensive stance is extremely low, with his arms spread so wide that they almost completely block Sendoh's view.

Sendoh changed direction, Rukawa followed. Sendoh dribbled behind his back and switched hands, Rukawa still followed. Neither of his consecutive fakes created space, so Sendoh had no choice but to force a shot. The ball bounced off the front of the rim and flew away.

In the following rounds, possession of the ball changed hands repeatedly between the two. Each defensive play was pushed to the limit; Rukawa's drives were blocked by Sendoh, and Sendoh's jump shots were disrupted by Rukawa.

The sharp screech of their sneakers scraping against the floor echoed back and forth.

The onlookers were too afraid to breathe. Miyagi muttered, "This defense is too ruthless." Mitsui nodded silently beside him.

Then Sendoh changed his fighting style.

He received the ball at the top of the key, turned his body to the side, and nestled his back against Rukawa's chest. A back-to-the-basket move.

Rukawa's pupils contracted for a moment; he was all too familiar with this move. Sakuragi Hanamichi had used it on him countless times. Now Sendoh was using it too.

Sendoh's first post-up forced Rukawa back half a step, and his second drive sent Rukawa crashing down to the inside of the free-throw line. Rukawa gritted his teeth and tried to hold on, but his center of gravity had already been shifted. Sendoh turned and launched a fadeaway jumper.

Rukawa lunged forward desperately to block the shot, his fingers just inches from the ball. The ball fell steadily into the basket.

Rukawa Kaede stood there, looking down at the floor, his hands on his knees, panting heavily.

A thought kept echoing in his mind: back-to-the-basket play. Sakuragi used back-to-the-basket play, and so did Sendoh. Both of them were the ones Coach Anzai said he wasn't as good as, yet they both unwittingly chose the path of physical back-to-the-basket play.

In the next round, Sendoh continued to finish with a backstab.

Rukawa tried various defensive strategies, such as positioning himself in advance, lowering his center of gravity, and interfering with his movements from the side, but Sendoh's physical strength had been honed by Sakuragi during the six months of last year, and Rukawa's defense could not withstand the repeated crushing blows from Sendoh's center of gravity.

The final duel ended with Sendoh emerging victorious.

The onlookers simultaneously erupted in low murmurs of admiration.

Rukawa stood rooted to the spot, sweat dripping from his medium-length black hair. Coach Anzai said he was neither as good as Sendoh nor as good as Sakuragi.

Now he admits it; he's truly inferior.

Sendoh Akira tucked the ball under his arm and walked up to Rukawa Kaede, stopping in front of him. He didn't adopt a victor's posture, and his tone was different from his usual lazy one; it was more like he was having a serious chat with a classmate: "Rukawa, actually, in terms of individual offensive and defensive skills, you're already very strong. You're among the top high school students in the country."

He paused for a moment, then said, "But your biggest problem right now isn't your personal ability."

Rukawa Kaede raised his head, staring directly at Sendoh, and his lips moved slightly: "What is that?"

Sendoh smiled slightly. It wasn't his usual lazy smile; it was a clear and earnest one: "It's the kind of ability that can make teammates stronger."

He took the ball out from under his armpit, twirled it between his fingertips, and said, "No matter how many points you score, the opponent can win as long as they lock you down."

But if you can motivate and strengthen your teammates, then locking down anyone won't help.

On the folding chair by the court, Coach Anzai's glasses gleamed. Sendoh had already made it very clear; now it was up to Rukawa to change his approach to studying.

Taoka turned to look at the silent Rukawa on the court, then at the smiling Sendoh, a complex feeling welling up inside him. His own ace was teaching someone else's ace how to become a true ace.

Miyagi Ryota suddenly nudged Sakuragi Hanamichi's waist with his elbow, a mischievous grin on his face that seemed to thrive on chaos: "Hey, why don't you go and have a one-on-one match with Sendoh? Let's see who's stronger between the two of you."

As soon as he said that, all eyes turned to Sakuragi. Even Uozumi and Akagi subconsciously shifted their gaze from Rukawa to Sakuragi.

Sakuragi Hanamichi and Sendoh Akira exchanged a glance from a distance of a few meters.

Neither of them responded. Sakuragi crossed his arms behind his head, took a step back, and wore an arrogant expression of nonchalance.

Sendoh twirled the ball between his fingertips, the lazy smile returning to his lips, without saying a word.

Only the two of them know why.

Last summer in Ryonan, they had already played one-on-one countless times in the same arena.

At the beginning, Sakuragi was outmaneuvered by Sendoh in every way. Sendoh magnified and crushed every technical detail of Sakuragi's feints, changes of direction, and footwork.

Sakuragi was initially utterly humiliated, but later, he gradually began to use his back to the basket and engage in physical confrontations, starting to overpower opponents. From then on, the balance of power began to shift. Until Sakuragi was about to enter high school, Sendoh had lost more often than he won.

Miyagi's attempts to provoke them were futile, because Sakuragi and Sendoh both knew the ending and there was no need for them to do so.

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