Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

They defeated Ryonan and won the match.

Akagi Takenori stood in the center of the court, hands on his hips, his expression exactly the same as before the game started—stiff, tense, his lips pressed into a line, making it impossible to tell whether he had won or lost.

But he was secretly overjoyed.

Ryonan, a top four team last year. They trailed by 22 points at halftime, but miraculously rallied in the second half.

Moreover, Rukawa Kaede sat on the bench for the entire second half and did not play.

Once Miyagi returns, the team's strength will reach another level.

Akagi's mind conjured up the stadium of the National Tournament, the place he had dreamed of for years. He used to feel there was an unbreakable barrier between them, but now that barrier was so thin it was transparent; he could just reach out and poke through it.

His lips twitched slightly, but he quickly suppressed it.

He can't laugh. He's the captain, the pillar of Shohoku, he has to stay calm.

Sakuragi Hanamichi was surrounded by his teammates. Kakuta patted him on the shoulder, Yasuda tugged at his jersey, and several first-year students who couldn't squeeze in were jumping around on the outside.

Sakuragi squeezed out of the crowd, his face bearing the expression of "I'm the best genius in the world," his chin held high, his nose almost touching the ceiling.

He walked with a pigeon-toed gait, step by step, to Rukawa Kaede.

Rukawa was sitting on a bench, holding a towel in his hand, staring at the floor, seemingly lost in thought.

"Did you see that?"

Sakuragi stood with his hands on his hips, looking down at Rukawa with a grin that almost reached his ears. "You stinky fox, that's how you play basketball. One-on-one won't work."

He dragged out the "yo" sound for a long time, with the final tone rising upwards, exuding a smug and boastful air.

Rukawa Kaede raised his eyelids and glanced at him, said nothing, tossed the towel over his shoulder, stood up and left.

Sakuragi stood there, stunned for a moment, then shouted at Rukawa's retreating figure, "Hey! You stinky fox! Say something!"

After a brief period of noise, the Shohoku team members lined up in a row, led by Akagi.

The Ryonan team members also stood in position, the two teams facing each other, ready to shake hands and greet each other.

This is an old rule in basketball: shake hands after a fight. No matter how fierce the fight is on the court, you still have to be a decent person off the court.

When it was Sakuragi's turn to shake hands with Sendoh, Sakuragi's hand enveloped Sendoh's hand and shook it vigorously twice.

"Sendoh, you need to practice your physical combat skills more."

Sakuragi said with a serious face, his tone as if he were giving advice to a junior, "Technique alone is not enough. If you run into someone with explosive physical abilities like me, you'll be at a disadvantage."

Sendoh smiled, his eyes narrowing. Sakuragi's words reminded him of someone: Maki Shinichi, Hainan's ace player, who was also excellent in physical confrontation, able to penetrate the paint and disrupt the defensive formation, making him a headache to defend.

"You really are a genius," Sendoh's voice carried a hint of admiration, "You've grown so much in just six months."

Sakuragi's ears twitched, and the corners of his mouth widened even more, but he tried hard to hold back his laughter, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Next up is Jun Uozumi.

The 202cm tall guy looked down at Sakuragi, his expression not very good. It wasn't because he was angry, but because the five fouls he had just committed still made him feel aggrieved.

"Boss Monkey," Sakuragi said, gripping Uozumi's hand. He dropped the teasing he'd shown Sendoh earlier and became much more serious. "You need to work on that weakness you have when you get fouled. Otherwise, you'll foul out every game if you encounter an opponent who knows how to draw fouls."

Uozumi stared at Sakuragi for two seconds, then nodded. His movements were subtle, but earnest.

"understood."

The coach just said the same thing. Now Sakuragi is saying it again. It's no coincidence that two people have pointed out the same flaw. Uozumi kept it in mind and planned to think about it carefully when he got back.

The last person to shake hands with Sakuragi was Coach Taoka.

Taoka stood at the very edge of the line, his hands behind his back, his back ramrod straight. As he watched Sakuragi walk toward him, that complex feeling welled up inside him again. This red-haired boy, who should have been his teammate, was now wearing Shohoku's number 10 jersey, leading the opposing team to a comeback victory against his own.

Taoka extended his hand.

Sakuragi dropped his smug expression, grasped Taoka's hands with both, and bowed slightly. His movements were natural, not feigned respect, but genuine.

After all, although he didn't end up coming to Ryonan, Taoka's appreciation and recruitment of him was genuine, not to mention that he often went to Taoka's house to eat and drink for free.

"Sakuragi, well done," Taoka said, trying to calm himself down. "Keep it up."

"I will continue to work hard, Coach Taoka." Sakuragi's voice was much lower than usual. There was no boasting or "I am a genius" in his voice. It was just an ordinary sentence, but he said it with great seriousness.

Taoka patted him on the shoulder and said nothing more.

After the handshake ceremony, the Shohoku team members packed up their things and prepared to leave.

On their way back, the Shohoku team members walked along the tree-lined paths of Ryonan Campus.

Kogure Kiminobu walked beside Sakuragi, his voice still carrying the excitement from the game: "Sakuragi, those assists you made in the second half were absolutely beautiful. Especially that bounce pass to Akagi, it was such a tricky angle, I never expected you to make it."

Kakuta chimed in from behind, "And those two 2+1s, Uozumi was completely stunned by you."

Yasuda chimed in, "They were also great at rebounding. Ryonan barely managed to grab any offensive rebounds in the second half."

The teammates chattered away, all praising Sakuragi. Every word was like a spoonful of honey, poured into Sakuragi's ears, making him feel so sweet he almost melted.

He walked in the middle of the group, his chin held higher and higher, his mouth stretched wider and wider, and his steps became more and more unsteady. He looked like a balloon that had been inflated to the brim, ready to float away into the sky at any moment.

"Hahaha, of course! I'm a genius!" Sakuragi put his hands behind his head, looked at the white clouds drifting by in the sky, and said with a smug "you finally understand me" tone.

Yuri Yanai walked a few steps behind him, holding Sakuragi's jacket in both hands. She watched him look like he was about to fly to the sky and her lips twitched slightly.

This guy is really easy to please.

She gets all cocky after just a few compliments, acting like a child. But a slight smile still graced her lips as she draped Sakuragi's jacket over her arm and quickened her pace to catch up.

At the very back of the group, Rukawa Kaede walked alone.

"Going it alone won't work."

Sakuragi's words were still swirling in his mind, like a fly buzzing around, impossible to shake off.

Rukawa Kaede frowned slightly. Was there something wrong with his playing style? From middle school until now, he had always played like this: get the ball, drive, score. No one could stop him, never.

But today, Sendoh locked him down. And after Sakuragi came on, Shohoku's offense came alive, and everyone was able to score.

He didn't know the answer, but he knew that Coach Anzai's words were not just empty talk.

"You need to learn to cooperate with your teammates!" "Otherwise, the gap between you will only widen."

Inside Ryonan's gym, the players were packing up. The floor had been hit clean, the balls were in the nets, and the tactical boards had been wiped clean and put back on the shelf by the wall.

Coach Taoka stood in the center of the court, arms crossed, his expression much calmer than during the game. After watching the players get ready one by one, he spoke.

"Come here, everyone."

Uozumi, Sendoh, Ikegami, Koshino, Uekusa, and several substitute players all stopped what they were doing and gathered around.

Taoka's gaze swept across everyone's faces, finally settling on Uozumi.

"The competition is over. The county-level competition starts in a little over a month. Next, we'll begin intensive training."

Fish-like head buzzed.

"Intensive training." When Coach Taoka says these three words, it's never a joke.

The grueling training left them so exhausted after each day's sessions that they couldn't even climb the stairs; their legs were as weak as noodles. Yu Zhu's face paled slightly.

The team members exchanged glances and saw despair in each other's eyes.

Taoka ignored their wailing and continued, his tone even harsher than before.

"Especially you, Uozumi."

Uozumi's body tensed up.

"Today, Sakuragi pointed out a loophole that's easy to be fouled on."

Taoka stared into Uozumi's eyes and said, word by word, "This loophole must be fixed before the prefectural tournament begins."

Uozumi's Adam's apple bobbed. He opened his mouth, wanting to say "yes," but his throat was a little dry, and he only managed a muffled "hmm."

Taoka shifted his gaze from Uozumi to Sendoh.

"Sendoh, you'll be my sparring partner."

Sendoh was standing at the very edge of the crowd, his hands in his pockets. When he heard his name called, he looked up in a daze.

Why do I still have my own things to do?

"Draw fouls," Taoka said. "You draw fouls and help Uozumi cover the gaps. Practice all kinds of situations: frontal drives, side help defense, and contact under the basket. Practice until he can draw fouls with his eyes closed."

"Ah...?" Sendoh's voice trailed off, the last syllable falling, carrying a clear sense of reluctance. "Coach, I..."

"You have a problem with that?" Taoka glanced at him, his gaze calm, but beneath that calmness lay a sense of oppressive pressure that said, "Try saying 'I have a problem'."

Sendoh opened his mouth, but seeing Coach Taoka's "no room for negotiation" face, he swallowed back all the words he was about to say.

"……No."

Looking at Sendoh's expression of utter dismay, the despair on his own face suddenly faded considerably. Knowing that someone was worse off than him made him feel much better.

Uekusa couldn't help but laugh, but was glared at by Taoka and quickly stopped.

The groans in the stadium gradually subsided, replaced by a resigned silence.

After arranging training to exploit Uozumi's fouling weaknesses, Coach Taoka made a decision: Fukuda had to be called back to train with them as soon as possible.

This year, Shohoku High School boasts Rukawa Kaede and Sakuragi, along with Akagi, who is no less formidable than Uozumi, making them incredibly strong. They already possess the strength to reach the semifinals.

Ryonan wants to make it to the national tournament and compete with Hainan, Shohoku and Shohoku for those two spots. They are currently in dire need of top-tier players.