Chapter Nineteen: First Time
"Sakuragi-kun, Rukawa-kun," Coach Anzai called from the sideline.
"Hm?"
"What is it, old man?" Sakuragi and Rukawa looked toward the bench.
Coach Anzai slowly raised his thumb at them. "Well done."
"Ha ha ha! Old man saw my spectacular performance!"
"Idiot. Nothing spectacular about it," Rukawa said coldly. "I was the one who scored."
"Ho ho ho..." Coach Anzai chuckled warmly, then switched to a peace sign.
"I refuse." Rukawa pretended not to see it and turned his head away.
"Wait, old man! That won't work!" Sakuragi also looked displeased.
"So there really are instructions?" Yagami thought to himself. "If I'm just playing 'dealer' it's fine, but if they full-court press, my stamina might not hold up much longer..."
Possession changed. Ryonan inbound.
The instant Yagami caught the ball, he faced another double team.
This time, from Sakuragi and Rukawa together.
"Are they trying to completely lock down Yagami?" Coach Taoka shot to his feet. If Shohoku kept this up, he was ready to sub Yagami out for rest.
"Don't drag me down, Rukawa!"
"Pay attention, beginner!"
The two surrounded Yagami. Rukawa maintained tight spacing while Sakuragi went for the strip.
Yagami slowly advanced as Sendoh sprinted back to receive.
"We absolutely cannot let him pass easily!" Rukawa's peripheral vision tracked Sendoh's movement. If a two-on-one trap gets broken by a simple pass, the remaining defenders would be forced into disadvantageous situations, making points easy to surrender.
"Huh? Are you telling me what to do?" Sakuragi glared at Rukawa.
"Moron, I said focus! Don't look sideways!"
Yagami nearly burst through their containment, but the tight spacing allowed Rukawa to cut him off.
"Lower your center of gravity at the waist, keep moving your feet, watch the opponent's eyes!"
"How rare for you to talk this much," Sakuragi adjusted his defensive stance following Rukawa's instructions while commenting. "Ha ha ha! I knew you wanted to borrow this genius's power!"
"Hmph," Rukawa responded coldly. "Better than losing the game!"
"So persistent..." Yagami gradually felt the pressure mounting. Sakuragi's defensive instincts exceeded his imagination—in such a short time, the ball-handling difficulty had multiplied!
"Sorato!" Sendoh came to Yagami's side.
Yagami hammered the ball into the floor, pulling back to create passing space with maximum effort.
Sakuragi and Rukawa simultaneously pressed forward, with Rukawa stepping sideways to cut off the passing lane between Yagami and Sendoh.
"This is too much fun!"
The instant Rukawa shifted, Yagami dropped low, center of gravity plummeting as he tried threading between them.
"GOT YOU!"
Sakuragi read Yagami's intent and immediately slid to block his path.
"You two really work well together."
Yagami paused mid-move, using Sakuragi as a pivot to spin past him!
"HE BROKE THROUGH!" Aida Hikoichi shouted excitedly from the sideline.
Kogure abandoned Ikegami, trying to slow Yagami's momentum.
BANG!
The ball went straight through Kogure's legs. Yagami's motion didn't pause as he charged inside the free-throw line.
"I WON'T LET YOU SCORE THIS!" Akagi Takenori locked onto Yagami, his six-foot-six frame looming like a beast in the paint!
BOOM!
Yagami elevated.
"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME, FIRST-YEAR!" Akagi rose to meet him.
CRASH!
They collided in mid-air. The impact sent Akagi stumbling backward while Yagami lost balance and tumbled to the floor.
But—
The ball went in!
After beating three defenders, Yagami posterized Akagi Takenori!
Ryonan 32 - 23 Shohoku
"SORATO!"
"Yagami, are you okay?!"
Teammates rushed over in a panic.
Coach Taoka looked worried. This kid played too recklessly!
"Ha ha ha..." Yagami lay on the floor laughing loudly. "Really, being able to play basketball like this makes me so happy."
Sendoh froze for a moment, then smiled and pulled Yagami to his feet.
TWEET!
"Ryonan substitution: #8 Uekusa Tomoyuki in, #10 Yagami Sorato out."
"Huh?" Yagami's face fell as he looked toward the bench.
"Come get checked out and rest for a bit," Coach Taoka said seriously.
Sometimes when players get injured, the adrenaline rush temporarily masks the pain. Even though Yagami seemed to move normally now and probably felt fine, as a coach, he had to eliminate any potential risks.
For players, health always came first. Besides, this was just a practice game.
"Understood."
Seeing Coach Taoka's expression, Yagami obediently switched places with Uekusa and returned to the bench.
"Sendoh-senpai, counting on you."
Yagami flashed an "OK" sign, though Sendoh knew he meant the thirty-point margin.
"Idiot, just guard your position. I can handle mine," Rukawa muttered.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"Having to team up with a moron like you—it's such a failure no matter how I think about it," Rukawa continued grumbling.
"Damn fox!" Sakuragi exploded. "You're the one who got destroyed by Yagami like a stray dog, so I kindly listened to the old man and helped you, yet you're still acting arrogant..."
"Stop bickering, first-year punks." Sendoh beckoned with his finger provocatively. "Your opponent from now on is me."
"Perfect, Sendoh!"
Sakuragi and Rukawa turned toward him simultaneously. "We were planning to beat you anyway!"
"Heh. Bring it."
"Coach, what if Shohoku keeps full-court pressing?" Aida asked worriedly. "With Yagami resting on the bench, only Sendoh-senpai will face them."
"I definitely underestimated that amateur. Coach Anzai's teaching ability truly can't be taken lightly." Coach Taoka's tone carried weight, though his expression showed no panic. "Still, this is the first time I've seen this."
"Right!" Aida immediately agreed, voice full of amazement. "Sakuragi really is a genius! For a beginner to display such incredible defensive coverage and scrambling instincts—I've never seen it before either!"
"No, that's not what I meant." Coach Taoka shook his head. His gaze settled on that figure with the lazy smile but focused expression on the court, speaking slowly:
"This is the first time I've seen Sendoh show such an excited expression during a game..."
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