Inside the Shohoku High School gymnasium, the basketball club was locked in a heated scrimmage between the first and second-year players.
Kentaro Ishii wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered, "He's too fast…"
Nango Koichiro had just executed a sharp crossover from beyond the three-point line, blowing past Miyagi Ryota. Even though Miyagi was on guard, he was still caught completely off balance.
"Damn it! I let him slip by again!" Miyagi cursed under his breath as he turned to chase. He couldn't understand it—Nango's breakthroughs used to be filled with unnecessary dribbles, but today his moves were simple, sudden, and deadly effective.
"Ryota! I'll stop him!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi lunged in, blocking Nango's path with all his might. For a moment, Nango seemed forced to halt. Then, tilting his head slightly, he glanced toward Kakuta in the paint.
"Hmph! I won't fall for that again!" Sakuragi declared confidently.
But his body betrayed him. Instinctively, he shifted his weight inside, giving Nango the opening he wanted. In a flash, Nango accelerated, slipped past, and laid the ball in cleanly.
"Beep! Blocking foul!" The whistle blew just as the basket dropped.
"Damn it! Just barely!" Sakuragi gritted his teeth, frustration boiling.
Nango turned to him with a teasing grin. "Barely? My arm's about to swell thanks to you."
"Idiot," Rukawa Kaede muttered coldly, "how many times are you going to fall for that?"
"What did you say?!" Sakuragi butted heads with him immediately. "Don't act smug, Fox! You got fooled by him too!"
The two were about to explode when their teammates rushed in to separate them.
"This one's not on Sakuragi," Kogure Kiminobu said calmly. "Nango's progress these last few days has been incredible. His moves look too real to ignore."
Akagi crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing. "It's not just his skills. His drives are sharper, more decisive than ever."
"Do you think he's influenced by Maki Shinichi?" Kogure asked.
"Maybe. If so, his ability to learn is terrifying," Akagi muttered, watching Nango's confident smile with a trace of unease.
After just one training session with Ganon Baker, Nango had woven the drills seamlessly into his daily play. The results were clear—Miyagi and the others couldn't keep up with his sudden, precise crossovers. Whether he attacked himself or dished to a teammate, he was almost unstoppable.
As Ganon had said, defenders were always wary of Nango's passes. That hesitation gave him the perfect chance to accelerate and drive. If they tried to cover both, his jump shot punished them. Every possession became a weapon.
Nango couldn't wait for his next training session, but his reward points were already spent. He'd have to wait five more days before seeing Ganon again.
"Idiot! Get back to training!" Akagi's roar snapped Sakuragi and Rukawa apart. The two "reluctantly" returned to their spots.
But Nango wasn't the only one standing out.
Miyagi dribbled at the top of the arc, scanning the defense. Suddenly, Sakuragi ran up to set a screen, cutting off Nango. Miyagi darted past, but instead of driving all the way like usual, he pulled up at the free-throw line and released a jumper.
The ball bounced twice on the rim… and dropped in.
"Whew…" Miyagi exhaled, relief washing over him. Confidence surged through his chest.
"Miyagi, nice shot!" Ayako cheered from the sideline, giving him a big thumbs-up.
"Ayako!~" Miyagi's face lit up with joy, his heart practically bubbling.
"Ryota! Snap out of it!" Sakuragi grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.
"What's your problem?!" Miyagi snapped back.
Sakuragi answered seriously, "You've already had your moment. Pass the ball to me next time! I want to score too!"
Miyagi could only stare. I only scored once… and that's already my moment?
Akagi groaned. "This idiot still hasn't learned anything…"
Kogure chuckled beside him, amused by the chaos.
Despite their antics, the Shohoku team's morale was rising. With two crucial games looming that weekend, not a trace of tension lingered in the gym. If anything, it felt like the top three teams in Kanagawa were no longer so far out of reach.
Meanwhile, Kishimoto was at his usual newsstand after practice, his messy hair sticking up in all directions. He called into the shop, "Boss! I left the money here!"
"Got it, thanks!" the shopkeeper replied.
Kishimoto and Minami walked out, each with a cold drink in hand. Kishimoto flipped through the freshly bought Basketball Weekly without slowing down.
"Bought another one?" Minami asked, handing him a can of sports drink.
"Ahh, nothing beats it cold!" Kishimoto took a gulp, then shrugged. "It's just something to kill time when I'm bored."
"Bored time? You mean during class." Minami shot him a look.
Kishimoto ignored him, muttering as he scanned the magazine. "The Bulls won again. Barkley and the Suns are useless…"
"When it comes to ace players, Jordan's still on another level," Minami said matter-of-factly.
"Tch!"
"Heh."
Kishimoto hated the Bulls' domination—it reminded him of Sannoh Industrial and Kainan, teams that crushed opponents so easily it felt unfair.
"Hmm? Nango Koichiro? Who the hell is this? Shohoku High? Never heard of them… Wait, they beat Kainan?!" Kishimoto stopped walking, eyes widening as he read the report line by line.
"Was Maki injured? Couldn't play?" Minami asked in surprise.
"Nope. He played. Shohoku beat them straight up," Kishimoto said, his expression hardening. "Nango Koichiro, Shohoku… I, Kishimoto, will remember that name."
Minami rolled his eyes.
"Oh, and here's someone named Sendoh too… Shohoku and Ryonan. Minami, do you think those two will be the ones to advance from Kanagawa?"
The report, written by Aida Yayoi, didn't have space to go into detail. Still, her praise of Sendoh left an impression on readers everywhere.
With this issue of Basketball Weekly, the names Nango Koichiro and Sendoh appeared beyond Kanagawa for the first time, spreading across the basketball world.
Minami scoffed. "Doesn't matter. Our goal hasn't changed. We'll knock them all down with Run-and-Gun."
Kishimoto smirked, lifting his head toward the sky. "Yeah… one by one, we'll take them all down!"
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