Chapter Sixteen: You're Boring Me
"That's amazing!" Aida gazed at Yagami with admiration. "I didn't expect Yagami to be so much better than Rukawa!"
"IDIOT!" Coach Taoka knocked him on the head. "It's not that simple at all."
"Huh?" Aida pulled out his notebook, adopting a studious expression.
"Yagami established himself as a passing threat in front of Rukawa earlier, which let him sell the fake pass into a drive later. On the flip side, Yagami pointed out that Rukawa's current style resembles Kise—both trust themselves more than teammates in crucial moments."
"They're the type who won't pass easily. Yagami predicted that, which is why he could strip the ball."
"I see!" Aida's pen flew across the page, scribbling who-knows-what.
"However, the main reason for this gap on the court is that aside from Akagi and Rukawa, Shohoku's other players can't match up with ours."
"AHHH—!"
Coach Taoka's explanation cut off with a shriek.
Sakuragi Hanamichi had appeared behind him, hands formed into a tiger seal—Secret Technique: Thousand Years of Death!
"YOU MORON! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Akagi delivered swift iron fist justice, then had Kogure drag Sakuragi away.
"I'M TERRIBLY SORRY! COACH TAOKA, PLEASE FORGIVE HIM!"
"I-it's fine," Coach Taoka managed weakly, though he didn't dare sit back down on the bench just yet.
"Old man, mark my words—Shohoku's only losing because I, Sakuragi Hanamichi, haven't been playing yet!"
Timeout ended. Game resumed.
"Shohoku substitution: #10 Sakuragi Hanamichi in, #6 Yasuda Yasuharu out."
"What's Coach Anzai thinking?" Coach Taoka watched the personnel change. After the substitution, third-year Kogure Kiminobu would run point while Sakuragi filled in at power forward.
"That weird guy's pretty tall."
"He's six-two, same as Sendoh-senpai," Aida added.
"Still, he looks like nothing more than a raw beginner." Coach Taoka paid him little mind.
TWEET! The whistle blew.
Shohoku inbound. Kogure steadily advanced the ball.
Though unfamiliar with the guard position, his fundamentals were rock solid.
"Four-Eyes, give me the ball!" Sakuragi immediately demanded it upon entering.
"Sakuragi!" Kogure trustingly fed him the rock, hoping he'd quickly adapt to the game's rhythm.
"???"
"No way. What are they doing?"
Shohoku never expected Ryonan to immediately trap Sakuragi—and with their two strongest perimeter defenders, Ikegami Ryoji and Yagami Sorato, no less!
"Sakuragi, pass it out!"
"That idiot!"
Though Rukawa stood wide open, he couldn't receive the ball. He could only run to help the completely brain-frozen Sakuragi.
SMACK!
Before he could arrive, Yagami had already stripped it.
WHOOSH!
Koshino caught Yagami's outlet pass on the break for an easy layup.
Ryonan 11 - 0 Shohoku
"BEAUTIFUL PASS, YAGAMI!"
"YAGAMI! YAGAMI!" Cheers for Yagami began rising from the sidelines.
"I-it's okay, Sakuragi," Kogure consoled him. "Don't be nervous. Just calm down."
"Sakuragi, no time for messing around." Akagi pressed down on Sakuragi's head. "Pull yourself together."
"Y-yes sir!"
Kogure pushed forward again, this time feeding Rukawa.
"I won't get fooled again," Rukawa said flatly, dribbling low and fast. "I'm going to beat you."
"You mean at talking trash?" Yagami smiled.
BANG!
Rukawa exploded left, attacking hard!
Yagami reacted instantly, turning his body to press tight, using his solid base to cut off the driving lane and deny acceleration space.
But Rukawa's assault didn't slow. Using excellent core strength to lean into Yagami, he pivoted sharply on his left foot and spun right, slipping past by half a body length!
In a flash, Yagami somehow hadn't gotten shaken! He mirrored the spin almost simultaneously, footwork quick and stable, sliding over once more to seal Rukawa's path completely!
"So persistent!"
With his lane thoroughly blocked, Rukawa pulled up hard, body rising for a floater.
The ball traced a short arc through the air—
CLANG!
"Damn it!"
"Ah! So close!"
Shohoku's bench groaned. They'd almost ended the shutout.
"NOT OVER YET!"
The instant the ball bounced off the front rim, two roars erupted simultaneously!
"REBOUND!"
In the paint, Akagi Takenori and Uozumi Jun elevated together, their massive hands slamming onto the airborne ball almost simultaneously! Raw power collided mid-air in a standoff!
"RAAAH! RAAAH! RAAAH—!"
Unexpectedly, from their flank, a red-haired figure launched himself skyward, crashing violently into both of them.
"SAKURAGI HANAMICHI?!"
The massive impact knocked all three off balance. Amid shocked cries, they tumbled to the floor in a tangled heap...
"AKAGI-SENPAI!"
"UOZUMI-SENPAI!"
Players from both sides immediately swarmed.
"IS ANYONE HURT?!"
"You bastard, did you do that on purpose?!"
"That's an outrageous foul! What's he trying to pull?!"
Yagami stared dumbfounded. Combined with that Thousand Years of Death earlier, he couldn't help awarding Sakuragi the title of Most Unpredictable Player, Rank #1.
"That guy seems pretty interesting," Sendoh said with a wry smile. "That strength and vertical leap—is he the variable Coach Anzai wanted on the floor?"
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation. "I'm... kind of itching to get in now."
"Idiot! If you can't play right, get off the court!" Rukawa kicked the just-risen Sakuragi back down. The consecutive turnovers and chaos had exhausted his patience.
"DAMN RUKAWA—!" Sakuragi charged at Rukawa. "YOU WANNA FIGHT?!"
"You're still in a game! STOP IT!" Kogure grabbed Sakuragi from behind, wrapping his arms around his waist to prevent the conflict from escalating.
The atmosphere grew incredibly tense. Right then—
"Let's talk with basketball on the court," Yagami walked into the middle of the group, his gaze sweeping across Shohoku's players before settling on Rukawa and Sakuragi. "Please show me something real."
"This? You're honestly boring me."
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