The referee's whistle shrilled.
Sakuragi Hanamichi whipped off his jacket, revealing the number 10 jersey beneath. He strode onto the court, chest puffed out with a swagger cocky enough to snub his own mother.
"Pfft..." "What's that red-haired kid doing out there?" "Is he Shohoku's mascot?" "He looks like a total amateur."
Laughter erupted from the stands again. Sakuragi's steps faltered. He was nervous. He was unprecedentedly nervous. He marched onto the hardwood, his left arm and left leg moving in sync like a rusty robot.
"Sakuragi! Move it!" Akagi roared.
"Y-yes! Captain Gorilla!" Sakuragi saluted, jumping out of his skin.
"HAHAHA!" The Ryonan players doubled over.
Just as Sakuragi was about to spiral, a hand landed on his shoulder.
"Sakuragi." Hayashi Rin's voice drifted into his ear. Sakuragi turned to find Hayashi looking at him with deadly seriousness.
"M-Master..."
"Don't be nervous." Hayashi Rin pointed at Sendoh across the court. "See that Spiky Head over there?"
"I see him! That arrogant jerk!"
"I just told him you're my secret weapon—that I only brought you on specifically to shut him down."
"Really?!" Sakuragi's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Of course," Hayashi Rin lied with a perfectly straight face. "Now, I'm going to teach you a combo move."
"A combo move?!" Images of Ultraman merging flashed through Sakuragi's mind.
"This move is called the 'Ironclad Wall.'" Hayashi Rin lowered his voice, pointing to a spot just behind Sendoh's flank. "When I dribble over, you stand right there. Block him like a stone wall. Just hold him for one second, and I'll finish the play. It's a high-level coordination only a master-disciple duo like us can pull off."
Sakuragi's blood began to boil. Two puffs of white steam practically shot from his nostrils.
"Leave it to me, Master! This Genius is the Ironclad Wall!"
The game resumed. Shohoku on the attack.
Hayashi Rin squared up against Sendoh. Sendoh kept his relaxed, effortless stance, his eyes locked onto Hayashi's center of gravity. New tactics? Sendoh glanced at Sakuragi, who was standing stiffly nearby like a wooden stake, feeling genuinely confused.
Suddenly, Hayashi Rin moved. No fancy crossover—just a pure, explosive burst to the right. Sendoh slid instantly to cut him off.
Too slow, Sendoh thought. But just as he reached for the steal, he slammed into an obstacle.
Thud!
It was like hitting a brick wall. Sakuragi Hanamichi stood his ground, hands protecting his crotch, feet rooted to the floor. His posture was awkward and his expression was terrifying, but he held his position like a mountain.
"What?" Sendoh was stunned. This amateur had incredible raw strength!
Seizing the opening, Hayashi Rin blew past the defense. The lane was wide open, but he didn't drive. Instead, he pulled up for a jumper, leaping high into the air.
That same posture again: The Formless Shot.
Uozumi lunged to help, but he was too far. Hayashi hung in the air, giving his wrist a gentle flick. The ball traced a ridiculously high arc, sailing over the defenders.
Swish!
The snap of the nylon was pure music. 27:14.
"YEAH!!!" Sakuragi Hanamichi screamed, rushing over for a high-five. "Master! It went in! The Ironclad Wall is unstoppable!"
Hayashi Rin ducked the high-five—knowing Sakuragi's strength would likely shatter his shoulder—and settled for a fist bump.
"Nice work. Keep it up. As long as you set the screen, I'll get the points." Hayashi turned to the stunned Sendoh. A genuine smirk finally played on his lips. Scoring without having to break a sweat... slacking off felt fantastic.
"Sendoh-kun. Two-on-one isn't a foul, right?"
Sendoh blinked, then let out a short laugh. He looked at the red-haired boy grinning like an idiot, then back to Hayashi Rin, whose eyes had grown sharp. The competitive fire in Sendoh's eyes finally ignited.
"Interesting," Sendoh said. "Then let's see what else you've got."
On the sidelines, Coach Taoka's tactical board was starting to bend under the pressure of his grip. Looking at the "First-year Duo," a knot of unease tightened in his chest.
Shohoku... had truly changed.
BEEEEEP!
The whistle signaled the end of the first half. The scoreboard glowed a glaring red: 50:45. Shohoku was only down by five.
An eerie, heavy silence hung over the Ryonan gymnasium. The fans who had come to mock Shohoku now looked like chocked ducks—mouths open, but unable to make a sound. The perennial doormat Shohoku? The Shohoku that was "just Akagi"? They were actually catching up.
"Huff... huff..." Akagi Takenori leaned on his knees, sweat dripping onto the floor. He was exhausted, but his eyes were blazing. "Great job, everyone! Keep this pace and we win!"
Meanwhile, in the Ryonan huddle, Coach Taoka was a hair's breadth away from snapping his clipboard in half. His face was as dark as a thunderstorm.
"Is this what you call defense?!" he barked. "You let Rukawa put up 20 points! You let Akagi run wild in the paint! And that..."
Taoka's glare snapped toward the Shohoku bench, landing on the Number 16 sprawled lazily in a chair. "That Number 16! How do you keep losing him?! He's vanishing right in front of you!"
Uekusa hung his head in shame. He had no excuse. He literally couldn't see the guy!
"We change everything in the second half!" Taoka took a deep breath, forcing himself to settle. He turned to Sendoh. "Sendoh."
"Yes, Coach?" Sendoh looked up, his signature spiky hair still defiant, though a trace of gravity had entered his gaze.
"Stop playing around. Show them what you're really capable of. If you don't get serious right now, I'm breaking all your fishing rods and tossing them into the ocean," Taoka threatened in a low, deadly voice.
Sendoh's smile stiffened. "Coach, that's a bit extreme..."
"Then win the damn game! Listen, we're pounding the inside in the second half. Uozumi, be aggressive! And Sendoh, you..."
Taoka began scribbling furiously on his board. As he laid out the strategy, spraying spit in his fervor, a red head suddenly appeared in the huddle. A white towel was draped over the hair. The intruder was nodding along, listening intently.
"Hmm, makes sense." "I see, so the plan is to attack the paint." "Not bad, old man. Not bad at all."
Taoka was in the zone when he realized the voice was unfamiliar. And the hair... did Ryonan have a redhead? He stopped mid-sentence and turned.
Their eyes met. Sakuragi Hanamichi blinked and gave him an awkward, polite little smile.
"Hey, old man. Keep going. This Genius is actually learning something."