At this speed, Shōgo only feels pressure and gives his all when practicing against Daiki. However, today, facing Yokohama, facing two tall and strong players, he unleashed his speed and passion.
Speed and passion, come on, let's all play together!
Seeing Shōgo break through the defense with terrifying speed and score a three-pointer, his teammates and the two girls in the rest area cheered together.
Some teammates even started chanting "Ace! Ace! Ace!" slogans.
On the coaching bench, Coach Kudo, seeing this scene, let out a relieved breath, and his expression calmed down.
But inside, his emotions were turbulent and stormy. Coach Kudo now realized that he had underestimated Shōgo's strength. In their little pond, Shōgo's true strength, developed through regular training, had never had a chance to fully shine.
It's both fortunate and regrettable, those who understand will understand, and those who don't won't, no matter how much you explain.
Snap!
Successfully intercepting Yokohama's pass, Shōgo swiftly dashed forward like lightning, easily bypassing two defenders and performing a one-handed dunk.
"Clang!"
The sound of the dunk reverberated incessantly, repeatedly hitting the eardrums of Yokohama's players.
At this moment, they realized that no matter how they defended, they couldn't stop that blood-red No. 6 player.
Seeing this scene, Yokohama's coach exchanged glances with Coach Kudo, their expressions shifting to a mixture of bitterness and resentment.
At this moment, Shōgo on the court, in the eyes of Yokohama's coach, was like the miracles from Teikō.
Unstoppable, unbeatable, and uncontainable!
Instead, their team would be ruthlessly broken through and scored on repeatedly, which would not only demoralize the team but also shatter the players' confidence. For some promising players, it might even leave lasting psychological shadows.
Ah! What has this era come to?
After successive uncrowned kings, now these terrifying miracles are emerging in this generation.
On the court, Shōgo's ghostly speed stunned the opposing team.
His speed was different from Daiki's. Shōgo's speed came from precise movements and rapid transitions between fundamental actions, similar to Himuro Tatsuya, but even he couldn't catch up.
As for Daiki, his speed was unpredictable, free-flowing, and creatively fast, leaving you with no time to react, impossible to block.
However, despite all the variations, the core remains the same: to achieve Daiki's carefree style, basketball fundamentals must be solid; otherwise, it's futile to hope for it.
Under the assault of Shōgo's terrifying speed, the situation took a turn, and Fukuda Junior High scored consecutively.
Even though Yokohama could still easily score against Fukuda, what was the point?
No matter how many points they scored, they were destined to lose the game, creating a feeling of despair that was overwhelmingly oppressive.
And Fukuda Junior High, after the end of the first quarter, began to execute its main strategy, continuously rotating players on and off the court, replacing those who had exhausted their stamina.
Of course, Yokohama Middle School's tall players were also affected by Shōgo's assault. As their stamina dwindled, Yokohama entered a phase of substituting players.
But for Shōgo, none of this mattered. Instead, it made it easier for him to score and saved him a lot of energy.
The game, after Shōgo's sudden outbreak, entered a rhythm of torment.
Facing Shōgo, Yokohama's players were tormented.
Facing Fukuda's players, Yokohama's defenders were tormented, their stamina draining rapidly.
Four quarters, each lasting 10 minutes, a 10-minute halftime break, and three-minute intervals for the rest, plus time for timeouts, amounted to a little over an hour.
Within this hour, each player was like someone who had participated in a full-speed marathon, everyone was panting, and some were even sprawled on the ground in the rest area, no longer concerned about their appearance.
"Whistle!"
The long whistle sounded, and looking at the score of 86 to 73, Shōgo took a long breath, feeling satisfied, and walked towards the rest area.
So, the game was won, and the next opponent was the reigning champions, Teikō Junior High.
Shōgo looked forward to it, looking forward to facing Daiki, Ryōta, and Seijūrō, among others.
Returning to the rest area, Shōgo impulsively lifted Rina, who handed him a towel and bottled water, and spun her around a few times before setting down the blushing girl.
Of course, that moment of shyness and embarrassment was instantly drowned out by the cheers and shouts of his teammates.
Coach Kudo came over, patted Shōgo's shoulder firmly, and said, "Well done!!!"
"Of course!!"
On the basketball court, both teams lined up neatly, exchanged salutes, and shook hands.
Friendship first, competition second!! (Though nobody believes this order!)
As Shōgo shook hands with Yokohama's captain and was about to pull away, the other side didn't let go. Instead, with a hint of schadenfreude, they said, "Shōgo-kun, are you prepared to face your old teammates from Teikō in the next match? Ready to get crushed."
Shōgo was taken aback by this remark, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Shōgo didn't reply but carefully studied the person in front of him. It turned out to be someone familiar, someone he had faced at the national championship last year. As for the name, Shōgo didn't know, and he didn't want to know now.
"Prepared? Do I need to be prepared?" The captain of Yokohama Junior High released Shōgo's hand, laughed heartily, and walked away.
"Hahaha! You don't need to be prepared. Interesting."
Shōgo was a bit puzzled, but after shaking hands with the others and packing his bag, he followed Coach Kudo out of the gymnasium, walking alongside Rina.
On the school bus, the exhausted teammates had finally recovered somewhat. They chatted excitedly, their faces filled with joy.
Soon, the bus started, the cacophony subsided, and Coach Kudo's stern voice filled the air.
"Today, you've all worked hard. Rest well when you get home!"
"Next week, we will intensify our training. Our opponent next weekend is the mighty reigning champions, Teikō Junior High. Are you all prepared?"
No one answered; everyone's gaze turned to Shōgo. He hesitated for a second and then calmly replied, "Why are you looking at me? I'm with Fukuda now, not Teikō."
"Shōgo-kun, is Teikō really that strong? Stronger than you?"
A teammate's curiosity voiced the doubts everyone had, and Shōgo pondered for a moment. Should he tell them the truth now, or wait for them to witness the blow during the match?
Isn't it better to let them know now and give them a heads-up rather than experience the blow firsthand during the game?
After considering this, Shōgo's calm and deep voice rang out.
"Teikō Junior High now has a starting lineup of five players, who are all at my level, and there's also a special player who can be considered at my level too."
As soon as he said this, silence fell inside the bus.