Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

Yohei rode his scooter slowly and leisurely along the highway.

With the accelerator pedal twisted to the floor, the engine emitted a muffled "humming" sound, and the exhaust pipe sputtered out air like an old donkey that was reluctant to work and was grumbling.

On the footrest, Gao Gongwang was curled up in a ball, his legs bent, his knees pressing against his chin, looking like a watermelon stuffed into a bag. His stomach was stuck between the dashboard and the seat, shaking three times with every bump, and he let out miserable cries of "Ouch, ouch."

In the back seat, Da Nan and Noma were huddled together. Da Nan sat on the outermost side, her arms wrapped around Yohei's waist, while Noma was sandwiched in the middle, her face pressed against Da Nan's back.

Four people on one motorcycle, looking like a circus troupe on tour.

"We're here, we're here, we're here..." Takamiya Nozomi pointed to the gate of Ryonan High School in front of her, her voice broken by the wind.

Yohei slammed on the brakes, and the tires screeched as they scraped the ground.

Gao Gong rolled off the step, landing on his bottom with a muffled groan, then got up and dusted himself off his pants.

Da Nan and Noma got off the back seat, one rubbing his waist and the other pounding his legs, their expressions like they had just been poured out of a can of food.

The four of them quickly entered the basketball court of Ryonan and went up to the second-floor stands.

Yohei and the other three immediately spotted the red head on the bench.

Sakuragi Hanamichi was sitting in a chair with his arms crossed and legs crossed, looking very smug. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was the best player on the court.

Takamiya Nozomi was the first to speak, cupping her hands around her mouth and shouting so loudly it shook the entire second-floor stands: "Hey! Hanamichi...! Is your technique so bad that you're stuck on the bench?!"

Da Nan chimed in, "Is the bench comfortable? Should I get you a cushion?"

Noma stroked his beard and slowly added, "Looks like he won't be able to play. We've made a wasted trip."

The four people stood in the stands, laughing so hard they were doubled over.

Upon hearing the sound, Sakuragi Hanamichi's face immediately darkened.

He sprang up from the bench, his red airplane nose like a burning flame, his whole body like a lit cannonball. He took two steps toward the four bastards in the stands, his teeth grinding, ready to charge up and headbutt each of them.

"You four...!"

A hand reached out from behind and precisely locked onto his arm.

Yuri Yanai expressionlessly grabbed him, her grip not very strong. Sakuragi took two steps forward, then was pulled back, then took two more steps forward, then was pulled back again, his whole body like a leashdid husky, stuck in place.

"Let go! I'm going to teach them a lesson!"

"Sit down." Yanai's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a hint of "I don't want to say it a second time."

Sakuragi turned around and glanced at her.

Yanai looked at him, his eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth slightly turned down.

He recognized that expression; it was the same one she had when he was arguing with someone in front of the convenience store.

Sakuragi's anger deflated like a balloon that had been pricked with a needle.

He glared at the four bastards in the stands, plopped back down on the bench, crossed his arms, turned his face to the side, and muttered, "I'll deal with you guys when we get back."

In the stands, Yohei smiled but didn't say anything more. Takamiya and the other two were still laughing, but their voices were much softer. They had also seen the look in Yanai's eyes as he looked at them, and they could feel a chill running down their spines even across half the stadium.

Yohei turned to Takamiya and the other two and whispered, "You know the leader of Momiji Middle School? She's the one!"

"Hiss..." Takamiya Nozomi and the other two gasped in shock.

It was that guy! He's a tough guy who can beat up even men!

Not far from the four members of Sakuragi's gang, three girls had just arrived at the stands, leaning on the railing and panting.

"I...I made it." Haruko patted her chest, her eyes scanning the court, her gaze already settling on the figure wearing Shohoku's number 11 jersey.

On the court, Yasuda dribbled the ball past half-court, his short frame keeping a low profile, bouncing the ball back and forth between his left and right hands. His eyes scanned left and right, searching for a passing option.

Zhi Zhi of the Grass Planting Plant posted it.

Just as Yasuda was about to dribble the ball to the left, Ueshima's hand shot out like lightning, his fingertips poking the ball. The ball bounced out of Yasuda's hand, tumbled twice on the ground, and rolled toward the sideline.

Yuzuri sprinted forward and retrieved the ball.

Intercept!

Offense and defense transitioned. Yuuka dribbled past half-court, didn't even look up, and immediately threw the ball away.

The ball traced a straight line through the air, heading straight for Sendoh Akira, who was already positioned outside the three-point line.

Sendoh catches the ball, his knees slightly bent, holding it at his waist with both hands.

Rukawa immediately returned to defense, lowered his center of gravity, spread his arms, and waved his palms in front of Sendoh. The two faces were less than a meter apart, and the air was thick with tension.

Sendoh adopted a triple threat stance, holding the ball with both hands, pivoting on his left foot, and taking a tentative step forward with his right foot.

His shoulder slumped to the right, and his body tilted accordingly, as if he was about to break through on the right flank.

Rukawa Kaede's center of gravity shifted half an inch to the right.

Sendoh passed the ball from his right hand to his left, pulled his body sharply to the left, pushed off with his right foot, and cut into the paint like a knife.

Rukawa quickly returned to his position, but Sendoh flung the ball from behind him, and it flew to the right at a 45-degree angle as if it had eyes.

Ryoji Ikegami stood in the empty space, with no one three meters in front of him.

He caught the ball, bent his knees slightly, jumped up, and flicked his wrist.

The ball traced a gentle arc and swished cleanly into the net with a "whoosh."

"nice shot…!"

On the bench, Sakuragi Hanamichi suddenly stood up and shouted. His voice boomed throughout the stadium, louder than Ryonan's cheerleading squad.

"Sendoh! Well done! That's it, teach that stinky fox a lesson!"

After shouting, he clapped his hands, his expression even more excited than when he scored.

Ayako, who was standing next to him, couldn't stand it anymore and slapped him on the shoulder with a loud "smack".

"Sakuragi!" Ayako glared at him, her eyebrows almost standing on end. "You're from Shohoku! How can you cheer for the opposing team like that!"

Sakuragi rubbed his shoulder, which had been slapped so hard, and muttered, "I was just... doing a strategic cheering maneuver..."

Ayako rolled her eyes, too lazy to argue with him, and turned back to watch the game.

On the court, Shohoku is on offense.

Yasuda was much more cautious this time, dribbling with his body turned to the side, using his shoulder to protect the ball, and keeping his eyes fixed on the frontcourt. Uekusa tried to press him twice, but he blocked both attempts with his body.

After Yasuda crossed half-court, he made a bounce pass. The ball bounced once on the floor and was delivered steadily to Akagi in the paint.

Akagi, with his back to the ball, thrust his rear end backward, causing Uozumi to stumble back half a step.

Using his left foot as a pivot, Akagi turned halfway around, his eyes scanning the outside. Kogure Kiminobu was standing two meters away from the three-point line, with no one in front of him. Ikegami shrank into the paint to help defend Akagi, leaving Kogure open.

Akagi flicked his wrist, and the ball was passed out.

Kogure received the ball, adjusted his footwork, slightly bent his knees, and jumped to shoot.

His movements were fluid; his arm was outstretched, and with a gentle flick of his wrist, the ball slipped from his fingertips...

At that moment, Jun Uozumi rushed out from the inside, jumped, stretched his arm straight out, and slapped the ball on Kogure's fingers the instant it left his hand.

"Smack!" The ball was swatted away.

Rukawa Kaede lunged at the ball's landing point immediately. He jumped up, caught the ball with one hand, and landed with his center of gravity already adjusted. Without hesitation, he pulled up for a jump shot.

His movements were as fluid as flowing water; he jumped, raised the ball, and released it all in one smooth motion.

As soon as Jun Uozumi landed, he bent his knees and sprang into the air again.

His second jump was incredibly fast for a 202cm tall man; his arm stretched out again, and his fingertips barely touched the bottom of the ball.

"Snapped!"

Another block.

The ball was deflected, bounced high, and landed at the top of the three-point arc.

Yasuda rushed over and caught the ball. He protected the ball, took a deep breath, and made a "steady" gesture to his teammates.

"Don't rush, don't rush." ​​Yasuda dribbled the ball, waiting for his teammates to get into position.

Akagi positioned himself under the basket and reached out to call for the ball.

Yasuda lobbed the ball into the paint again.

The ball fell from the sky, and Akagi jumped up to catch it, landing with his feet on the ground and his back to the basket.

He felt the pressure of Uozumi's body behind him, Uozumi's chest pressed against his back.

Akagi dribbled the ball once, took a step towards the basket, then turned, jumped, and shot.

His movements were faster and his release point was higher than the previous two times.

Jun Uozumi lunged forward for the third time, leaping away the instant Akagi released his shot. His palm slammed solidly into the ball.

"Snapped!"

Three-point cap.

The ball was hit and flew towards the center line, drawing a high parabola under the stadium lights.

The entire stadium fell silent for a moment, then erupted in deafening gasps.

In the stands, the four members of Sakuragi's team were completely dumbfounded.

Takamiya Nozomi's mouth gaped open, his jaw trembling, and after a long pause, he finally managed to stammer, "This...this monkey boss from Ryonan is so strong..."

Haruko Akagi's heart pounded in the stands not far away.

On the court, after being knocked away, Sendoh Akira was the first to start, rushing towards the ball's landing point like an arrow released from a bow.

He took long, fast strides, crossing the center line in three steps and catching the ball with one hand.

Rukawa Kaede has caught up.

His defensive speed was astonishing; starting from beyond the three-point line, he quickly closed in on Sendoh in just a few long strides.

The two people's bodies were almost parallel, like two parallel bolts of lightning.

Sendoh dribbled towards the basket without slowing down at all. He stepped into the free-throw line, took his first step, then his second, and jumped.

His body stretched out in the air, his right hand holding the ball, making a layup motion.

Rukawa jumped at the same time, raising his right hand high, aiming at the ball in Sendoh's hand.

Sendoh, who was in the air, glanced at Rukawa.

With a flick of his wrist, instead of sending the ball forward, he flung it backward. As if it had eyes in the back of its head, the ball landed precisely behind him, landing on Tomoyuki Uekusa.

A behind-the-back pass.

When he caught the ball, there was only an empty basket in front of him. He easily jumped and made a layup with his right hand, sending the ball into the hoop.

"Whoosh."

The net trembled slightly, the ball landed on the ground, bounced twice, and rolled outside the baseline.

Sendoh landed, his body swaying slightly before regaining his balance. He glanced at Rukawa, a faint smile playing on his lips.