Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 405 Mike Okita's Special Training Results

After the competition, the list of the top eight in the country was finally finalized.

Group 1: Shohoku High School, Aiwa Academy

Group Two, Sannoh Industrial, Ryonan
Group 3, Hakata University of Commerce, Buri
Group 4, Xiangyang, Da Rong Academy
There were no dark horses in this competition.

As a two-time champion, Shohoku is naturally not a dark horse.

The advancement of these eight teams was entirely expected by the audience.

According to the competition schedule, the quarterfinals will begin with Group 4, followed by Group 3, and so on.

"This match was absolutely amazing, Rukawa Kaede! This is the true power of a genius like me."

On the way back, Sakuragi flexed his arm, revealing his fairly well-developed biceps, and became smug in front of Rukawa.

With Kogure feeding him, Sakuragi racked up 20 points and 10 rebounds in the first half, along with 4 blocks.

Rukawa stayed on the bench for the entire game, which made Sakuragi very proud.

"childish!"

Rukawa glanced at him sideways, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"You bastard, you're just jealous!"

Sakuragi, like a monkey whose tail had been stepped on, instantly flew into a rage.

thump~
Akagi thought Sakuragi was too noisy, so he delivered a powerful punch that came crashing down on him from above.

The world fell silent instantly!

As a close friend, Miyagi watched coldly from the sidelines, not daring to offend Akagi.

"This is a headache!"

Kogure spread his hands, deciding to ignore it.

He couldn't imagine who would be able to keep Sakuragi in check after he and Akagi graduated.

Rather than relying on Miyagi and Rukawa, we should rely on Naito.

Despite Naito's burly appearance, Kogure discovered after more than a year of getting to know him that he was actually quite shrewd.

Just to clarify, "fine" here doesn't refer to any specific body part; after all, Naito isn't Shaquille O'Neal.

Naito is very patient and doesn't have the same temper as Akagi, who gets angry easily.

This can be seen in the scene in the anime where Murasame recruits Naito.

Naito suffered a grievance in the rugby team, but he did not teach his seniors a lesson. Instead, he endured it and quietly packed up the props.

With this in mind, Kogure silently designated Naito as a candidate for the future captain of the Shohoku team.

As for whether Naito can become the captain, it mainly depends on Coach Anzai's opinion.

……

The following morning, the quarterfinals of the national competition officially began.

All four matches were scheduled to be held at the National Stadium, with two matches in the morning and two in the afternoon.

At 8:30 a.m., the first match slowly began, with Xiangyang and Darong Academy as the two participating teams.

Shohoku High School is known in the high school basketball world for its unique run-and-gun tactics, while Daiei Academy is known for its tenacious defense and steady play.

The match between these two teams is undoubtedly a visual feast, akin to the strongest spear versus the strongest shield.

Many spectators even arrived an hour early to watch the game.

As players from both sides took to the field, the atmosphere in the stadium quickly heated up.

For a moment, the shouts and cheers of both sides' fans rose and fell, full of passion and energy.

Of the two teams, Fujima is the most popular, followed by Minami and Hanagata.

Don't forget, this is Kanagawa!
Jun Tsuchiya was not welcomed here; instead, he was met with strong boos.

Jun Tsuchiya was not greatly affected by this, at least on the surface he remained composed.

Besides Jun Tsuchiya, there are Daijiro Itakura and Mitsuaki Iwata, and the remaining two are unnamed characters in Slam Dunk.

Oh, and there's another character in Slam Dunk with a name: Teruo Okawa, Hikoichi Aida's junior high school underling.

At this moment, Teruo Okawa was sitting on the edge of the Daiei substitute bench.

It's clear from his seat that Teruo Okawa is not highly regarded and is merely a dispensable water dispenser attendant.

After the match started, Hanagata overpowered Iwata Mitsuaki and passed the ball to Fujima first.

Immediately, the Xiangyang players rushed to the frontcourt.

shuh~
Soon, Fujima delivered a brilliant pass, and the latter easily made a mid-range shot.

This attack took Xiangyang less than five seconds.

Jun Tsuchiya immediately shouted to Mitsuaki Iwata, "Iwata, keep an eye on your opponent and don't give him an easy chance to shoot!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Iwata Mitsuaki, naturally, dared not disobey and mustered his spirits to meet the challenge of Hanakata.

However, the vast difference in strength cannot be overcome by willpower.

Mitsuaki Iwata was at best a second or third-rate center forward, far inferior to Hanagata, who was a first-rate player.

In Akagi's words, Uozumi is much better than him.

In the original work, Hanagata and Uozumi were roughly equal in strength, one excelling in offense and the other in defense, so Iwata Mitsuaki was naturally no match for him.

Under Hanagata's defense, Iwata Mitsuaki failed to find an opportunity for a long time.

Soon after, Jun Tsuchiya took the initiative to shield Itakura from a set.

After shaking off Fujima, Kishimoto had no choice but to switch defenses and quickly rushed towards Itakura.

Itakura didn't stop, continuing to dribble and attack.

During this process, the two clashed.

Kishimoto was somewhat surprised, because Itakura's fighting ability was not much inferior to his.

However, he still slowed down Itakura's progress.

At this moment, Fujima finally rushed up, wanting to join forces with Kishimoto to attack Itakura from both sides.

"Itakura!"

Suddenly, Jun Tsuchiya's voice rang out.

It turns out that when Fujima rushed towards Itakura, Tsuchiya Jun quickly cut into the basket.

At this point, Hanagata had already been taken away by Iwata Mitsuaki, leaving the area under the basket undefended.

Before Fujima arrived, Itakura made a bounce pass, and the basketball landed precisely in Tsuchiya Jun's hands, who easily scored a layup.

When it was Shohoku's turn to attack, Hanagata quickly served the ball and then rushed to the frontcourt with his teammates.

Before the game, Daiei Academy conducted an in-depth analysis of the Shoyo team. After scoring a layup, Jun Tsuchiya immediately instructed his teammates to quickly return to defense.

Daiei Academy's defense was quick to recover, and Shohoku was unable to launch a fast break.

However, the pace of the Xiangyang team remained very fast.

Fujima controlled the basketball steadily and signaled for a pick-and-roll by Hanagata.

Itakura noticed this scene and focused some of his attention on Hanagata.

As soon as the flower shape gets close, he will go around it as fast as he can.

However, before Hanagata could even get into position, Fujima immediately broke through with the ball.

"So fast!"

Before Itakura could react, Fujima broke through her defenses.

Before Iwata Mitsuaki could switch on defense, Fujima pulled up for a jump shot.

His release speed far exceeds that of ordinary players, which is related to his usual training.

shuh~
The basketball hit the net.

In less than ten seconds, the Xiangyang team completed their attack.

After an initial period of probing, both teams quickly got into the game, exchanging blows and refusing to give an inch.

As time went on, the competition quickly entered a heated phase.

Both coaches stood on the sidelines, remotely directing their teams and trying to find weaknesses in each other.

Whenever one side scores, the audience erupts in enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Of course, Xiangyang had significantly more supporters, especially a large group of Xiangyang students who were banging on plastic bottles, creating a powerful atmosphere.

Dongdong~dongdong~
Inspired by the rhythm of the Shohoku students, more and more spectators joined in, making this almost like Shohoku's home turf. Among them were the Sakuragi Army.

With Kanagawa becoming the host, Sakuragi's army was overjoyed.

This means they saved a lot on travel and accommodation costs, and they can come to the stadium every day to cheer for Sakuragi.

Inspired by the students from Xiangyang, the three goofballs quickly sprang into action.

When Shohoku plays, they will cheer for Shohoku and Sakuragi in the same way.

Soon, Oonan Yuji bought six large bottles of drinks, each with a capacity of about 1 liter.

When it was time to drink their beverages, the slow-witted trio finally realized the problem.

They don't seem to be able to drink that much!

"There's only one solution!" Takamiya Nozomi looked at her two companions.

"Drink up, drink up!" Noma Chuichiro forcefully opened the lid, revealing a look of resignation.

tons tons tons tons~
Chuichiro Noma tilted his head back and drank his beverage.

As for the collapse, they never even considered it.

These drinks were bought with their hard-earned money, so naturally they couldn't bear to waste them.

tons tons tons tons~
Takamiya Nozomi and Oonan Yuji exchanged a glance and, not wanting to be left behind, started drinking as well.

The nearby spectators were stunned by what they saw.

"You're kidding, are you really going to drink it all?"

Beside him, Yohei's eyes widened even more, and without thinking, he picked up a bottle of beverage and chugged it down as well.

Thanks to Shohoku, the three idiots, the three Haruko's, and the captain with the mustache all had their seats nearby.

In short, as long as you are strong enough, everyone around you will be a good person!

"How could we forget this genius!"

After realizing what was happening, Sakuragi also grabbed a drink and joined them.

Kogure said in a helpless tone, "Everyone, let's help them divide the rest!"

As soon as Kogure finished speaking, Rukawa Kaede grabbed a bottle of beverage without saying a word.

Meanwhile, Mitsui and Miyagi simultaneously reached for the last bottle of beverage.

"Let go!" Miyagi

"I'm the vice-captain, you should be the one letting go!" Mitsui

"No, I encountered it first."

As Sakuragi's best friend, Miyagi didn't want to back down; he wanted to share the burden with Sakuragi.

"I was the one who bumped into it first."

In a battle for the last bottle of beverage, neither of them would give an inch, each hoping the other would back down.

"This is a headache!"

Kogure gestured to Akagi with his eyes.

Soon, under Akagi's pressure, Mitsui and Miyagi shook hands and made peace, sharing the last bottle of beverage together.

The game continued, but it was clear to everyone that Shohoku was gaining a slight advantage.

There is still a significant gap between the two sides in terms of lineup.

Fujima and Tsuchiya Jun are evenly matched in strength, and Itakura can barely take down Kishimoto.

However, Shohoku also has two strong reinforcements: Hanagata and Minami.

How to do?
Cold!

In addition, Daiei Academy's pace was also affected by Shoyo.

As the pace quickened, Xiangyang's advantage grew even stronger.

shuh~
Beyond the three-point line, Nan Lie decisively took a shot, and the basketball swished through the net like a precision-guided missile.

The audience erupted in cheers, which were deafening.

This shot gave Xiangyang a 10-point lead.

This is undoubtedly a watershed moment!

In an instant, the morale of Shohoku soared, while the morale of Daiei players plummeted.

However, Jun Tsuchiya had no intention of giving up.

In the next possession, Jun Tsuchiya responded with a pull-up jumper, narrowing the gap back to single digits.

Unfortunately, his good fortune didn't last long. In the next round, Fujima launched a sneak attack and hit another three-pointer.

After this goal, there were 2 seconds left in the first half.

Soon after, Junichi Tsuchiya launched a long-range three-pointer.

shuh~
The basketball didn't go in; instead, it grazed the net and went out of bounds.

"What a pity, it was just a little short!"

Jun Tsuchiya shook his head regretfully.

If they can sink that long-range three-pointer, it will not only narrow the gap, but more importantly, it will boost the team's morale.

Unfortunately, there is no if!
The second half began shortly afterward.

The second half was almost a microcosm of the first half, with Shohoku gradually eroding Daiei Academy's strength.

Ultimately, in this tense and fierce competition, thanks to their superior lineup, Shohoku emerged victorious, becoming the first team to advance to the semifinals.

Although the match seemed evenly matched, anyone who was there in person could deeply feel Shohoku's dominance on the court.

After the Xiangyang team's game, it's time for the third group's game.

Hakata Shoudai VS Buri
Compared to last year, Hakata University of Commerce's strength has shown a downward trend.

Because they lost the nation's top center, Nohisuke Suzuki.

Even so, Hakata University of Commerce is still a favorite to win the championship.

However, Buri is not necessarily inferior to Bodo, and even has a slight advantage in the starting lineup.

Also, don't forget that this is Kanagawa Prefecture.

Even though Hakata Commercial University has many supporters nationwide, Buri's home advantage remains significant.

"Buri!" "Buri!"

For most Kanagawa fans, they will unconditionally support every Kanagawa team.

Dongdong~dongdong~
At Fujima's signal, the students of Shohoku started cheering for Takezato by tapping their drink bottles.

Not far away, the 'Kogure fans' spontaneously cheered for Takezato.

"Sisters, we can't let them lose in terms of spirit!"

The massive 'Rukawa-kun' group began to collectively raise their legs high, causing a stir among the nearby male spectators.

Soon, the game begins.

Both sides fielded their regular starting lineups.

During the jump ball phase, Meiko Kogure first passed the ball to Ebina Yoshimi.

Hakata Commercial's center is only 193 cm tall, giving Mitsuaki Nagato a certain height advantage.

Soon, Ebinayo dribbled the ball across half-court and then passed it to Mike Okita.

After receiving the ball, Mike Okita noticed that his opponent was a good two steps away from him.

This detail immediately made him understand the other party's intention; the other party clearly wanted to limit his breakthrough by maintaining distance.

During the prefectural tournament, Mike Okita's mid-range and long-range shooting was not satisfactory, and this weakness naturally did not escape the eyes of his opponents.

Before the game, the coach of Hakata Commercial University conducted an in-depth analysis of Mike Okita and decided to take advantage of this weakness of Mike Okita to limit his scoring ability.

However, one should look at a person with new eyes after three days of separation.

Over the past month, Mike Okita has undergone rigorous special training in order to overcome his weaknesses.

He spends a lot of time practicing shooting every day, repeating the shooting motion over and over again until he can no longer lift his arm.

Mike Okita's efforts paid off. In just over a month, his shooting skills improved significantly, especially in mid-range shooting.

Without hesitation, Mike Okita decisively took the shot.

shuh~
The basketball arced through the air and pierced the rim with perfect accuracy.
(End of this chapter)