Chapter 156: The Hidden Hero
"So Ryonan's strategy is to have you limit my scoring while simultaneously... competing with me in orchestrating the offense?" Akashi Seijuro stared at Sendoh Akira with a terrifying expression.
"Well, you could say that," Sendoh replied, seemingly oblivious to the chill in his opponent's gaze, still wearing that casual smile. "I think it's pretty interesting."
How to put it—so far, Ryonan had faced off against every Generation of Miracles team.
Kise Ryota of Kaijo, Murasakibara Atsushi of Yosen, Midorima Shintaro of Shutoku, Aomine Daiki of Touou... without exception, these guys were all monster-level players with overflowing talent. But the more Generation of Miracles members Sendoh encountered, the more he sensed a certain shared trait in them—an almost obsessive quality. Excessively self-centered, even to the point of being closed off.
By comparison, Sendoh felt that Yagami Sorato on his own team possessed equally exceptional talent yet appeared the most normal! And yes, the most polite too.
"Heh," Akashi let out an extremely brief, cold laugh. "Being looked down upon like this—I find that troublesome."
He paused, slightly raising his chin to make his gaze appear higher. "However, I'll give you this opportunity."
"...Well, thanks?" Sendoh felt quite troubled now.
Not long ago, Yagami had explained the meaning of "chuunibyou" to him. Now he felt this term couldn't be more fitting for this group of first-year Generation of Miracles players—though honestly, Yagami was a bit chuunibyou himself.
"Hmph." Akashi snorted coldly, offering no further response.
Rakuzan's possession.
Akashi received the ball in the backcourt, advancing unhurriedly past halfcourt where Sendoh already waited near midcourt.
The other Rakuzan players set their positions. Akashi scanned once, changed his dribbling rhythm, then crossed over left.
Sendoh slid laterally, maintaining a half-step distance while raising his right hand to seal shooting space.
Akashi accelerated again. Just as their bodies were about to contact, he quickly pulled the ball back while his center of gravity dropped sharply. Using his left foot as pivot, he executed a fluid, lightning-quick spin move!
The ball seemed glued to Akashi's hand, tracing an arc as his body rotated. Then, using the acceleration from the spin, he slipped past Sendoh's side, penetrating into Ryonan's territory!
"He's beaten him! Beautiful spin move from Akashi!!"
Akashi drove into the paint with the ball. Uozumi Jun immediately stepped up with long strides, raising both arms to block the driving lane.
Swish!
The ball threaded under Uozumi's arms, flying toward the opposite side of the rim.
"Good thing I didn't jump!" Uozumi reacted quickly, immediately spinning to defend Nebuya Eikichi.
However, Akashi's passing target wasn't him.
Mayuzumi Chihiro shed Fukuda Kicchou, cutting from the baseline. After catching the ball, he rose smoothly for a standard bank shot, sending it through.
Ryonan 10, Rakuzan 5
Ryonan's possession.
Sendoh dribbled past halfcourt. Ikegami Ryoji launched from the right elbow toward Yagami Sorato at the top of the key.
Yagami, with Hayama tracking him, first moved toward the corner before suddenly changing direction. Using Ikegami's screen, he easily shed Hayama and cut inside.
Sendoh's pass arrived precisely at that moment. Yagami caught it needing almost no adjustment, his footwork continuous.
Mibuchi switched immediately, sliding to help. Mayuzumi on the weak side also sensed danger, quickly collapsing.
Yagami's driving momentum paused. He violently yanked the ball backward, his body leveraging the motion to stop abruptly. Both feet planted firmly on the floor, the massive inertia instantly neutralized by powerful core strength. Then without hesitation, he exploded upward!
Mibuchi and Mayuzumi both leaped to contest, four arms weaving a barrier before him.
Yagami leaned back slightly in the air, his release point high and quick. The ball left his fingertips with gentle backspin, tracing a beautiful arc over their desperately extended fingertips toward the rim.
Swish!
Nothing but net.
Ryonan 12, Rakuzan 5
"Beautiful pull-up jumper! Yagami again!"
"Just three minutes into the game, he already has 10 points and 1 assist!"
"Sendoh's passing timing is precise, Ikegami's screen solid and effective—Ryonan's executing their offense with great patience!"
Rakuzan's possession.
Akashi received the baseline inbound, advancing calmly as Sendoh continued meeting him near midcourt.
"Another confrontation between them!"
Akashi didn't engage Sendoh extensively. After a simple crossover, the ball flew from his hands.
Mibuchi stepped up to receive but, seeing the pass direction, immediately reversed to the baseline, briefly shaking Ikegami again.
Smack!
Mayuzumi met the incoming ball with a direct swipe, redirecting it toward the baseline.
Mibuchi caught it, his footwork already adjusted.
"Ikegami, don't jump!" Uozumi shouted a warning.
Ikegami's footwork stuttered, his closeout delayed a beat.
A flash of regret crossed Mibuchi's eyes. Catch, bend knees, rise, release!
Swish!
Another pure three-pointer!
Ryonan 12, Rakuzan 8
"Mibuchi's finding his three-point touch! After missing the opening shot, he's hit two straight!"
Ryonan and Rakuzan's opening offenses looked remarkably similar, both showcasing exceptional team coordination. However, Ryonan's individual scoring was superior!
Ryonan 20, Rakuzan 16
Ryonan's possession.
Sendoh received the ball in the backcourt. Just past halfcourt, Akashi immediately pressed up.
"Akashi's about to make his move." Aomine Daiki suddenly spoke. "If it's now, he can close the gap in one burst."
"Is he planning to solve them in one go...?" Midorima Shintaro also sensed the shift in court atmosphere.
"Oh?" Sendoh's languid expression sharpened.
Akashi's defensive strategy had clearly changed—tighter positioning, stronger pressure... Planning to force a steal or turnover through extreme pressure? As Sendoh pondered, Akashi suddenly struck, targeting the instant the ball bounced back to his right hand.
"!!!"
Sendoh's center of gravity dropped sharply, his right hand pulling the ball back preemptively as he shielded with his body.
Akashi's pressure didn't end. He stepped forward aggressively, his right hand reaching again.
"Scary~"
Sendoh used his height and wingspan advantage to keep the ball away from Akashi. When the opponent pressed again, his right wrist suddenly powered through with a decisive, spinning bounce pass that skimmed under Akashi's extended arm, finding Yagami coming to receive.
"He got it out!"
The instant Yagami caught it, Hayama was there, blocking his path.
"This time, I'll definitely stop you!"
Yagami ignored the declaration. After receiving, he quickly established a triple-threat stance, scanned Rakuzan's entire formation, then suddenly exploded.
Hayama slid to cut him off.
Yagami used consecutive jab steps into a crossover, leveraging stride length and rhythm differences to force half a step of space on Hayama's right side, attacking the basket.
Nebuya and Mayuzumi's help defense came faster than before.
Yagami faked a pass to the right corner. Mayuzumi's footwork immediately stuttered.
Swish!
Rather than pulling back, Yagami threaded the ball into the deep paint the instant he drew the defense.
Uozumi caught it, drove both feet into the floor, exploded upward with maximum force, and slammed it home two-handed!
Ryonan 22, Rakuzan 16
"Haha, that guy's not so easy to deal with, huh?" Aomine laughed happily at Akashi's failed steal attempt.
"Yosen's Fukui-senpai was completely flustered by Akashi earlier," Momoi Satsuki pondered. "That makes Sendoh-senpai the hidden hero of Ryonan's lead."
"..."
Rakuzan's possession.
Akashi's expression remained unchanged. After dribbling past halfcourt, he first drove left to pull Sendoh's defense, then made a fake pass toward the cutting Hayama, causing Ryonan's defensive formation to tilt slightly right.
Swish!
The ball swung across. Mayuzumi had somehow shed Fukuda's defense for an open look.
Fukuda belatedly rotated, trying to keep Mayuzumi outside the paint.
Swish!
The ball changed direction mid-air, passing over Fukuda's head, flying straight toward the rim.
"???"
"Muscle power—"
Nebuya launched at full force, catching the ball in the air. Engaging his core, he hammered it toward the rim with everything he had!
"A dunk!"
BOOM!!!
Smack!
Uozumi leaped, slapping Nebuya's arm but failing to prevent the score.
Ryonan 22, Rakuzan 18
TWEET!
The referee's whistle pierced through.
"Ryonan number four, shooting foul! Basket counts, plus one free throw!"
Nebuya landed, excitedly pounding his chest with a roar, though his force was slightly excessive at the line.
Clang! The ball hit back iron and bounced high.
Uozumi, holding his breath, aggressively snatched the rebound one-handed, clutching it tight to his chest.
"Fukuda, focus! Don't let that guy move the ball so easily!" Coach Taoka shouted from the sideline.
"Yes!" Fukuda replied in a muffled tone.
Ryonan's possession. Forty seconds remaining.
Sendoh dribbled just past halfcourt. Facing Akashi's defense, he rose without warning!
Sendoh's jump was crisp and decisive, using no screen, no complex fake setup. His body extended in the air, his wrist gently pushing the ball forward.
"What?!"
Rakuzan was shocked. They hadn't expected Sendoh to take a contested shot against Akashi—a long-range three at that!
Akashi's reaction was lightning-fast. Almost the instant Sendoh jumped, he lunged forward. His vertical speed was astounding, arm fully extended, fingertips nearly touching the ball's bottom.
Swish!
The ball's arc was high, clearing Akashi's contesting fingertips as it flew toward the rim.
Splash!
Three-pointer!
Ryonan 25, Rakuzan 18
Midorima's pupils contracted slightly. More than the accuracy, he focused on Sendoh's shot timing. Perhaps he too could...
Thirty seconds left. Rakuzan inbounded for their final possession of the quarter.
Akashi received it, steadily controlling tempo to burn time, denying Ryonan a final counterattack opportunity. Just as he crossed halfcourt, Sendoh suddenly pressed aggressively, clearly wanting to speed up.
Rakuzan's offensive formation began moving. Hayama cut from the right forty-five toward the basket. Mayuzumi stepped up, screening Yagami.
Under Sendoh's pressure, Akashi faked a pass to Hayama. Sendoh anticipated the steal. Akashi quickly pulled back, stepped back once, and passed again.
Swish!
A quick thread to Mayuzumi. Hayama accelerated again, shaking the helping Fukuda, his eyes looking back.
Mayuzumi's arm swung. The ball changed direction mid-flight toward the interior.
Smack!
The instant the ball left Mayuzumi, Yagami burst forward, his extended arm precisely cutting into the passing lane, stealing it!
"Impossible?!" Mayuzumi's eyes widened.
Eight seconds remaining.
Yagami scooped up the ball, attacking quickly. Both teams sprinted toward Rakuzan's end.
At the three-point line, Akashi blocked Yagami again, just like the game's opening.
Five seconds left. No time to hesitate. Yagami locked onto the rim, stopping two steps beyond the arc. He gathered, jumped, launching a deep three!
Akashi lunged forward, touching Yagami's wrist just as he released—
No whistle!
Clang!
The ball hit back iron, bouncing high.
"Miss! That's Yagami's first missed shot of the game!" the announcer's voice suddenly spiked.
"Rebound!"
Uozumi and Nebuya battled furiously for position under the basket, muscles colliding, neither yielding. Fukuda charged from the weak side but was blocked out by Mibuchi.
Nobody cared about the remaining seconds. Until the whistle blew, no one would stop moving.
Smack!
A figure burst into the paint as the ball descended, exploding upward with maximum effort.
It was Ikegami Ryoji!
He'd read the rebound's landing spot, arriving before everyone else. His fingers lightly tapped, tipping it toward the rim.
TWEET! The whistle sounded.
The ball bounced twice on the rim before rolling into the net.
Putback good!
Ryonan 27, Rakuzan 18
"Ikegami! Second-chance points! He used aggressive pursuit to secure the final two points of the first quarter for Ryonan!"
"Ikegami-senpai! Great play!" Ryonan's bench erupted in celebration.
After landing, Ikegami instinctively glanced toward Ryonan's cheering section in the stands, meeting Nakamura Riko's somewhat surprised gaze. He immediately played it cool, turning his head away and quickly backpedaling, though his lips couldn't help curving upward slightly.
"Nice work, Ikegami-senpai." Yagami high-fived him.
"Hmph, don't underestimate your seniors." Ikegami said proudly.
First quarter over—Ryonan leads by nine!!
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