"1 to 0!" Sendoh exclaimed with interest.
With a beautiful shot, Gu Jin easily put the ball into the hoop.
Sugadaira suddenly spoke up, "Wait a minute!"
Sendoh glanced at him, "Sugadaira?"
"How can it be 1:0? It should be 1:9. He said he would give up nine points."
As soon as Sugadaira said this, it immediately drew scorn from the people around him.
However, several substitutes who were on good terms with him also chimed in:
"Yes, he himself said he would give up nine points."
"Exactly. A promise made is a promise kept. That's an ancient Chinese saying. Since he said it, he has to honor it."
Uozumi angrily said, "Are you serious? How can Ryonan have players like you?"
Sugadaira stuck out his neck and retorted, "Captain, I don't necessarily want to win, it's just that he spoke too arrogantly just now."
Uozumi was about to erupt, but Gu Jin spoke, "It's okay. What I said counts. If it's nine points, it's nine points."
Sendoh caught the certainty in Gu Jin's eyes and smiled, "Alright, then it's 1 to 9."
Uozumi became anxious, "Sendoh, why are you going along with this nonsense? This is too humiliating!"
Sendoh advised, "Captain, since we didn't stop them at the beginning, why not let them continue now? Otherwise, many people might be unconvinced."
Sugadaira immediately pressed, "It's my turn to serve now, right?"
Gu Jin tossed the ball over, his tone flat, "Bring it on."
"Alright, this is your own arrogance. Don't blame anyone if you lose—if you lose, don't ever show up in this gymnasium again." Sugadaira said, dribbling the ball, intending to break through.
Slap!
Before anyone could react, the basketball was snatched by Gu Jin.
"So fast!" Koshino Hiroaki exclaimed.
Sendoh, however, shook his head, "It's not speed; it's anticipation."
"Anticipation?" Koshino Hiroaki looked confused.
"No way? He's probably playing against Sugadaira for the first time, he doesn't know his moves at all, how could he anticipate so accurately?" Even Ikegami, the best defender on the team, found this unbelievable.
A hint of admiration flashed in Sendoh's eyes, "It seems we really underestimated Gu Jin. This kind of anticipation is already at the level of a professional player's experience. This is absolute genius."
Sendoh's vision had always been sharp.
Indeed, Gu Jin possessed the experience and skill of a professional player.
His greatest reliance was the experience accumulated over 1200 professional games in his previous life, as well as the muscle memory ingrained in his bones.
This shot, condensed with twenty years of game experience, can you stop it?
Without surprise, Gu Jin made another beautiful shot.
"2 to 9."
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Sugadaira clenched his fists, his face turning from green to pale.
Slap!
Slap! Slap!!
Slap! Slap! Slap!!!
Next, Gu Jin completed six consecutive steals!
Sugadaira was completely engulfed in despair.
The score kept changing:
- At 3:9, Gu Jin made a powerful dunk that made the hoop slightly vibrate;
- At 4:9, he made a light layup, the ball grazing the backboard and falling into the net;
- At 5:9, a beautiful hook shot near the free-throw line, with an arc as precise as a ruler;
- At 6:9, Sugadaira was directly faked out and tripped, Gu Jin calmly scored a layup;
- At 7:9, he executed a rare between-the-legs dribble, drawing gasps from the sidelines;
- At 8:9, Sugadaira completely collapsed, panting heavily on the ground, without the strength to even stand up.
Unbeknownst to them, Taoka Moichi had returned to the gymnasium and had heard the whole story from a player. His face was grim, and he stood silently in the corner, waving off the players who wanted to greet him—the two on the court hadn't even noticed his presence.
"Sugadaira, get up! The game isn't over yet." Gu Jin's voice carried an undeniable firmness.
Sugadaira suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, "You fucking first-year punk, who are you to tell me what to do!"
Gu Jin's gaze sharpened, "I'll say it again, get up and pick up the ball."
Sugadaira roared, "I admit I can't beat you, alright!!!"
"What? When you came to provoke me just now, weren't you very arrogant?" Gu Jin's voice suddenly rose, "Now you don't even have the courage to face defeat? Coward, you don't deserve to touch a basketball!"
"Stop lecturing me!" Sugadaira retorted, panting, "It's not you who's being humiliated! You're the one who made me look so bad!"
Gu Jin said coldly, "Normally, when I encounter people like you, I'm too lazy to speak, but you shouldn't have involved basketball!"
"Stop putting on an act!" Sugadaira seemed to grasp at a lifeline, "You're just picking on the weak! If you're so capable, go find Sendoh!"
Sendoh, who was inexplicably dragged into it, looked helpless—what did this have to do with him? It was truly unprovoked trouble.
Gu Jin stared at him, enunciating each word, "Picking on the weak? Sugadaira, you don't understand the mindset of a strong person at all. I accepted your challenge because I fear no one. I'm giving my all, not to prove how amazing I am, but to make you all see: Coach Taoka's judgment and methods are not wrong!"
He paused, his tone growing heavier, "You shouldn't have targeted me today. Normally, I wouldn't pay you any mind.
But what you did today is completely slapping Coach Taoka in the face! You target me, Gu Jin, and I can tolerate it; but if you dare to disrespect the coach, I will absolutely not allow it!"
As soon as these words were uttered, everyone present felt a shock in their hearts.
Yes, what Sugadaira did today, in the end, was fundamentally aimed at Taoka Moichi!
"Sugadaira, get up, the game isn't over." Gu Jin's voice was like ice, resonating as it hit the floor.
Sugadaira lay on the ground, his shoulders heaving violently, "Gu Jin, stop using me as a stepping stone."
"Using you as a stepping stone?" Gu Jin sneered, the contempt in his voice undisguised, "Are you even worthy?"
"You just want to step on me to curry favor with the coach!" Sugadaira suddenly looked up, his roar filled with unwillingness and venom.
The expressions of the people off the court became increasingly complex; some frowned, some shook their heads, and more of them looked at Sugadaira with deep disappointment.
"Curry favor?" Gu Jin took a step closer, his gaze sweeping across the entire court, his voice suddenly rising, "Sugadaira, how can a sparrow understand the ambitions of a swan? I, Gu Jin, do want to please Coach Taoka, but my way of pleasing him isn't through a few words, nor by defeating useless trash like you."
His eyes gleamed astonishingly, like a burning fire:
"My way of pleasing him is to pull the Hainan Team down from their pedestal, to make Ryonan the undisputed king of Kanagawa Prefecture!
My way of pleasing him is to lead the team into the joint finals, to make everyone remember Ryonan's name!
My way of pleasing him is to dominate the entire country! I want to make the name Taoka Moichi resound across the nation, I want the coach to hold the trophy, stand tall on the podium in Hiroshima, and proudly declare to all the sports media nationwide, 'We are the champions!'"
The moment his words fell, the gymnasium was so quiet that one could hear breathing. Even Taoka Moichi in the corner suddenly clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.