Kuroko's Basketball template: the king of slacking off, Shohoku's strongest sixth man.

"pretty!"

Minori Kishimoto punched the ball forcefully inside the paint, a wild smile on her face.

On Toyotama's bench, the previously silent players all stood up and frantically waved their towels.

"Back up, back up!"

"Shohoku's fast break is on!"

Fengyu and his group of five did not linger at all.

Even though the thigh muscles were twitching wildly due to extreme exhaustion.

Even with a score difference of 112 to 87 on the scoreboard, despair remained.

No one was looking at that cold, hard number at that moment.

Every time they dove to the ground to tackle, every time they ran for their lives, it was filled with an exhilarating sense of exhilaration.

In Shohoku's offensive possession, Miyagi Ryota quickly tore through the defense.

"Don't even think about going there!"

Daijiro Itakura roared and spread his arms wide, blocking the path of breakthrough.

Miyagi stopped abruptly, flicked his wrist, and tossed the ball high into the air above the basket.

Sakuragi Hanamichi's dazzling red hair instantly leaped into the air, ready to smash the ball into the basket.

Knowing he couldn't jump over this red-haired monster, Kishimoto still jumped with all his might, using his chest to withstand Sakuragi's impact.

"Bang!"

Sakuragi slammed the ball in.

However, Kishimoto bumped into them, causing them to lose their balance and fall to the ground.

"Hey! Horse tail!"

"Are you trying to murder this genius?!" Sakuragi cursed as he got up.

Kishimoto, sitting on the ground, didn't utter any sarcastic remarks as usual.

He wiped his sweat and grinned broadly:

"Enough with the nonsense, you red-haired brat!"

"Next time, I'll definitely block your shot, ball and all!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi was stunned, scratching his head and muttering, "Did this guy get dumbfounded by this genius?"

Lin Bei stood outside the three-point line, his hands supporting his knees as he chewed on a mint.

Watching the Toyotama players tearing at each other like mad dogs, yet enjoying it immensely, I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"At least now it looks like a high school student playing basketball."

As time passed, the cheers in the stadium grew louder and louder.

The audience completely forgot that this was garbage time.

Everyone was applauding wildly for the two teams that had exhausted themselves.

"Ten! Nine! Eight..." The entire audience began to count down in unison.

Nan Lie dribbled the ball up the court and looked at Rukawa Kaede, who was blocking his way. Their eyes met.

There were no words exchanged, only pure fighting spirit clashing.

Nan Lie didn't pass the ball; instead, he opted for an extremely elegant step-back.

He tossed the ball high into the air one second before the final whistle blew.

"Beep—!"

The referee puffed out his cheeks as he blew the whistle.

A piercing long whistle cut through the dome of the Hiroshima Stadium.

"Match over!"

The basketball, mid-air, hit the back edge of the rim, bounced high, and ultimately failed to fall into the net.

Nan Lie, however, had no regrets whatsoever.

He was panting heavily when his legs gave way and he collapsed onto the wooden floor.

The glaring incandescent light shone on my face.

He looked at the ceiling and smiled with a relieved expression.

Minori Kishimoto, Daijiro Itakura...

Feng Yu and the others walked to Nan Lie's side and helped each other to their feet.

Everyone's jerseys were soaked with sweat, and their faces showed a look of unfinished excitement after giving it their all.

This wave, though defeated, is still glorious.

The referee walked to the center circle, raised his right hand, and his voice echoed throughout the stadium:

"Shohoku High School, the representative of Kanagawa Prefecture, advances to the second round!"

boom--!

The Shohoku bench erupted in a frenzy.

"We won! We won!"

Kogure Kiminobu was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.

"Our first victory in the national tournament!"

"That's so cool!!" Ayako excitedly patted the tactical board.

"Hahaha! Did you see that?!"

"This is the power of Sakuragi, the savior genius!"

"What A-level teams? They're all trash in front of this genius!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi put his hands on his hips and laughed loudly.

"Idiot, that airball you shot in the first half hit the stands."

Rukawa Kaede wiped his sweat and coldly added insult to injury as he passed by Sakuragi.

"You stinky fox, what did you say! You want to fight?!"

Akagi ignored the two clowns.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the air, thick with the smell of sweat and gunpowder.

Then he slammed his large hand down on their heads.

"Well done, everyone."

Akagi's voice was low and trembled slightly.

This is my first time participating in the IH tournament.

After being suppressed and then launching a desperate counterattack, they finally won the hard-fought battle.

Next...

Akagi raised his head.

My gaze swept across half the stadium to the white area in the stands that represented absolute dominance.

Next, we will launch a real challenge against the reigning king of high school basketball – Sannoh Industrial High School.

At the highest point of the stands, the white expanse had begun to surge.

"Let's go, we've collected almost all the data."

Sannoh's head coach, Goro Domoto, closed his notebook and turned away expressionlessly.

Masashi Kawata, Kazunari Fukatsu, and others stood up.

The powerful aura caused the surrounding audience to instinctively hold their breath and make way for them.

With his hands in his pockets, Eiji Sawakita was about to turn around when he paused slightly.

He lowered his head, his gaze like that of an eagle locking onto its prey, and looked with great interest at Xiangbei's number 11 on the sidelines.

"Shohoku...?"

A playful smile appeared on Zebei's lips.

"Although he's weak, that guy... is kind of interesting."

It's like a sixth sense among apex predators.

Lin Bei, who was chewing a mint, stopped what he was doing and looked up.

The gaze was like a bullet fired from a gun, piercing through the noisy crowd and shooting straight to the top of the stands.

Their eyes met suddenly in mid-air.

There was no actual contact.

But in that instant, the surrounding air seemed to distort due to these two terrifying battle intents.

Zebei raised an eyebrow, his eyes revealing a condescending scrutiny and provocation.

Lin Bei's languid expression vanished instantly, replaced by absolute indifference.

He slightly raised his chin, his lips moved slightly, and his mouth clearly said:

"Wash your neck clean and wait to die."

Zebei was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing:

"What an arrogant newcomer."

Having said that, he turned around and strode after the main force of the Mountain King.

Watching the Sannoh team's retreating figures, Coach Anzai pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a sharp white light under the lamp.

"Oh ho ho ho... The real test has only just begun."

Coach Anzai turned around and caught a glimpse of a familiar figure at the exit of the stands.

Coach Kitano was leading the skinny boy away from the field.

Noticing the gaze, Kitano turned to look at the Shohoku bench.

Inside the bustling stadium, two elderly people with gray hair looked at each other from a distance.

Coach Anzai's kind face, reminiscent of Colonel Sanders, broke into a smile as he slowly raised his right hand.

Coach Kitano smiled broadly, his face crinkling with wrinkles, and waved.

He then pointed to Nan Lie and Kishimoto in the center of the field and bowed slightly.

No words were spoken.

But the older generation of basketball players still cherish each other.

It speaks louder than a thousand words.

……

at the same time.

At various competition venues in Hiroshima.

The smoke of the first round of fighting gradually dissipated.

The radio announcer was broadcasting brutal battle reports in a emotionless, mechanical voice:

"Aiwa Academy vs. Yokotama Industrial. 'Aichi Star' Dai Moroboshi led Aiwa to a resounding 103-58 victory, demonstrating absolute dominance."

"Dairei Gakuen, representing Osaka, crushed Tomifa High School 81-48. Ace player Jun Tsuchiya only played 20 minutes and still managed a triple-double."

"Josei High School in Shizuoka Prefecture. Their ace player, Mikoshiba, sent Haraguchi Commercial home with a terrifying score of 79 to 34."

……

Those teams that were considered strong by the media before the competition.

Like a bulldozer, it mercilessly crushed the dreams of the weak.

These national-level powerhouses have all demonstrated a despair-inducing strength.

They advanced to the second round with their heads held high.