The commentator's voice, brimming with barely suppressed excitement, echoed through the arena: "It's Fukuda again! Only 5 minutes into the game, and he's already racked up 10 points! Ryonan's number 13 is absolutely on fire!"
The stands erupted instantly, the roar of cheers almost tearing the roof off the stadium. Countless people waved their arms, shouting for the figure on the court who moved with the agility of a leopard.
In contrast, Qingfeng Team seemed to have their hands tied from the start. They made frequent turnovers on offense, and their defense was full of holes.
Currently, their total team score was still lower than Fukuda's individual score.
The numbers on the electronic scoreboard glowed, a harsh glare: 21:9.
In the shadows of the Qingfeng bench, Moriyama clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles white, his teeth grinding: "Damn it... Why? Why can Fukuda be a starter? Why is he so strong now?" His voice was filled with resentment and venom, "He's clearly a good-for-nothing, how could he be better than me? How dare he be better than me!"
On the other side of the court, Ryonan Team's defensive half.
Gu Jin clapped Fukuda on the shoulder, his tone relaxed but firm: "Fukuda, that was brilliant! Later, when there's an opportunity, I'll pass to you, and you can give them an alley-oop to really get the crowd hyped."
Sweat beaded on Fukuda's forehead, but his eyes shone with incredible brightness. He nodded heavily: "Okay!"
Just then, a sudden, even greater commotion arose in the stands. Eyes that had been focused on the game now turned towards the entrance, and a tide of discussion swept through.
"Look over there! It's the guys from Sannoh Industrial! Why are they here to watch Ryonan's game?"
"Ryonan is an AA-level team now, so it's normal for Sannoh to scout opponents, right?"
"But at this time, Hakata Shodai High School's game is also happening? Shouldn't they be watching their old rivals?"
"Hakata Shodai High School is an old rival, so they definitely need to pay attention, but Ryonan has emerged unexpectedly this season, and their strength cannot be underestimated. Maybe in Sannoh's eyes, Ryonan's threat already surpasses Hakata Shodai's."
"Impossible! How could Ryonan be more threatening than Hakata Shodai High School? I don't believe it!"
"Don't believe it? Then why aren't you watching Hakata Shodai High School right now, but instead squeezed in here watching Ryonan?"
The person choked on the question, then chuckled, his eyes darting towards Ryonan Team's half: "I'm not just here to watch the game. I'm mainly here to see Sendo—tsk tsk, look at his dribbling, his passing posture, it's practically a work of art."
The person next to him shivered at the words, dramatically moving away: "Holy crap, are you gay? Get away from me!"
"Hmph, little bro, I'm not interested in you." The person rolled his eyes at him, his gaze already glued back to the court.
That gaze, fixed on Sendo, hadn't lingered for more than a few seconds before it suddenly tensed with the movement on the court—Sendo was holding the ball beyond the three-point line, with two Qingfeng defenders pressing him like he was a formidable enemy, trying to cut off his passing lanes.
The murmurs in the stands abruptly dropped by half a degree, and everyone's attention was captivated by the figure in the white jersey.
Sendo, however, seemed oblivious to the pressure in front of him. With a slight flick of his wrist, the basketball was deftly dribbled at his fingertips, then he suddenly accelerated and changed direction, his left foot taking a tricky angle as he slipped through the gap between the two defenders.
By the time the Qingfeng players reacted, they couldn't even touch his jersey. They hastily turned to chase, but Sendo's nimble step-back made them lose their balance.
The breathing on the sidelines seemed to halt for a moment.
Sendo drove into the restricted area, and two other Qingfeng players immediately abandoned their original defensive targets, rushing towards him to try and double-team him.
Just as the three players' arms were about to form an impenetrable barrier, Sendo's body suddenly paused slightly in mid-air, and his right wrist flicked upwards with the motion—
He lightly tipped the basketball with his fingertips, sending it in a very high arc that barely cleared everyone's heads, flying towards the right side of the hoop.
"Here it comes!" Taoka Moichi clenched his fist on the sideline.
Almost at the same second the basketball left his hand, a white figure shot out from diagonally behind like an arrow released from a bow.
Fukuda's explosive power was displayed to its fullest at this moment. He leaped forcefully from the floor near the restricted area, his body stretching into a taut bow in mid-air. His right hand firmly grasped the basketball that had just reached its apex, then he powerfully engaged his core, slamming the ball into the hoop with all his might!
"CRASH!"
The hoop emitted a dull, loud thud. Fukuda hung on the rim, swaying twice before landing, then looked up and grinned towards Sendo, revealing his stark white teeth.
The electronic scoreboard updated again: 23:9.
The commentator's roar instantly erupted: "An alley-oop! Sendo's brilliant pass! Fukuda's powerful dunk! This is Ryonan's teamwork! The dominance of an AA-level team is already starting to show!"
Moriyama on the Qingfeng bench suddenly stood up, then sat back down heavily, the chair groaning under the strain.
He stared intently at Sendo and Fukuda, who were high-fiving in celebration on the court, his nails almost digging into his palms—the good-for-nothing he had once scorned was now bathed in the cheers of the entire arena, and the one who passed him the ball was Sendo, whom even opponents couldn't help but be mesmerized by.
The man in the stands who had just been joking about Sendo slapped his thigh hard: "See that?! That's Sendo! That passing timing is absolutely incredible!"
The person next to him pouted, but didn't argue further, his gaze involuntarily drawn back to Ryonan Team's half.
In the stands, Sannoh's team occupied a prime viewing spot in the back rows.
A player rested his elbow on the railing, his gaze fixed on Sendo, who had just completed the assist on the court. With a somewhat nonchalant but confident tone, he turned to Masashi Kawata beside him and said, "Masashi Kawata, I'm very familiar with this Sendo. Although he can't beat me in a one-on-one, his skill cannot be underestimated."
He was none other than "Japan's number one high school player"—Zawa Kita Eiji!
Masashi Kawata frowned, handing him a bottle of mineral water. His tone carried a hint of surprise: "You're very familiar with him? I thought you had no interest in remembering other opponents besides playing basketball."
"Yeah, I played against him in middle school. After high school, I played against him again on a street court." Zawa Kita took the water bottle, twirling it with his fingertips, his mind still replaying Sendo's moves from their last street court game. "His passing and rhythm definitely have something, but he lacks a bit of ruthlessness when playing one-on-one."
He spoke earnestly, completely oblivious to the amused glances of his teammates beside him—after all, everyone in Sannoh knew that Zawa Kita Eiji rarely took opponents seriously.
But if Zawa Kita knew that the opponent he described as "very familiar" couldn't even remember his name correctly, mistaking it for "Kitazawa," what would he think?
"For you to say 'cannot be underestimated,' it seems Ryonan's game is indeed worth a closer look," Masashi Kawata nodded.
Zawa Kita glanced at him, his face full of disdain: "He's strong, but not as strong as me."
No sooner had he spoken than Sendo on the court seemed to sense something, suddenly looking up and scanning towards Sannoh's direction. His gaze briefly lingered on Zawa Kita before he turned back to prepare for defense, with no particular expression on his face—as if he had just seen an ordinary spectator.