Slam dunk, hit 100% of the three-pointers at the beginning!

The crowd erupted again in the gymnasium.

In just 20 seconds on the court, Ryu had singlehandedly closed the gap by four points.

One dunk. One steal.

It was a clear showcase of Ryu's exceptional skills in offense and defense.

"Ryonan is playing way too casually," someone in the audience murmured.

"They need to steady themselves. If they keep this up, even a 12-point lead could disappear," another added.

On the court, Akagi and a few of his teammates surrounded Ryu, cheering him on.

"Great play! Let's keep this momentum and close the gap!"

"Got it!" Ryu replied, nodding calmly.

Unlike his excited teammates, Ryu remained composed. He could sense it—Sendō was about to get serious.

On the sidelines, Ryonan's coach, Taoka Moichi, couldn't sit still any longer. He yelled at his players on the court.

"Focus! Unless you want double training tomorrow!"

The Ryonan players froze, their expressions stiffening as if haunted by painful memories.

Uekusa and Fukuda shot glares at Ryu, frustration clear in their eyes.

They had been on the verge of crushing Shōhoku, but thanks to Ryu's efforts, the 16-point gap had been clawed back to just 12.

Even Sendō's usual smile had disappeared. His laid-back gaze turned sharp and focused.

This first-year rookie wasn't as easy to handle as he'd expected.

A quiet intensity radiated from Ryu, reminding Sendō of the same pressure he'd felt facing Maki Shin'ichi.

Sendō took a deep breath, calming himself.

"Let's take this one step at a time and secure this point," he said, steadying his teammates.

Yuzumi and the others could feel the change in Sendō's demeanor. This wasn't the relaxed Sendō they knew; he was serious now.

On Shōhoku's side, Akagi barked orders to his team.

"Defend this play! Crush their momentum!"

Sendō dribbled the ball at the top of the arc, and Ryu immediately stepped forward to guard him.

Ryu's gaze was icy, his stance solid, arms spread wide as he focused intently on Sendō.

Facing Ryu, Sendō dropped his usual playful banter.

He launched straight into his offense, dribbling the ball back and forth between his legs, his body feinting to throw off Ryu's balance.

But Ryu didn't budge, keeping his focus locked on Sendō's shoulders.

Sendō retreated a couple of steps with his dribbling, then suddenly made a motion as if to shoot.

"He's going for it!" someone shouted.

Ryu reacted instantly, springing upward with his right hand extended to block the shot.

But it was a fake.

Sendō hadn't actually gathered the ball, only raising his left hand to sell the move.

"Now's my chance!"

With Ryu slightly off-balance, Sendō quickly shifted his weight, performing a sharp crossover and slipping past Ryu's right side.

"Defense! Defense!"

Akagi shouted loudly. For a moment, even he thought Sendō was going for a shot, but it turned out to be yet another fake.

"I've got this!"

Kakuta rushed in front of Sendō, stretching out his hand to try to steal the ball.

But Kakuta's defense was too amateurish for someone like Sendō. With his dribbling skills, there was no way a simple move like that would work.

Sendō quickly tucked the ball close to his chest, stepping his right foot near Kakuta's left, using his body to block him out.

Kakuta reached for the ball but swiped at air, completely missing. Sendō moved as smoothly as a butterfly, spinning gracefully past him.

Kakuta tried to turn back to block Sendō's chest-level dribble, but his body just couldn't twist fast enough.

"Damn!"

Sendō had already passed two defenders and was now charging into the paint. Akagi immediately stepped up to guard him.

At this range, Sendō had a hundred ways to put the ball into the basket.

Sendō leapt straight up, raising the ball to the highest point.

"He's going to shoot! No way I'm letting this happen!"

Akagi, though powerful, was far more agile than Yuzumi. He jumped right after Sendō, extending his right hand toward the ball.

"Wait, something's wrong!"

Akagi realized mid-air that Sendō wasn't just jumping straight up. The ball in Sendō's hands was moving farther and farther away from him.

"A fadeaway?"

Ayako, watching from the sidelines, was stunned. Sendō was nearly horizontal, his body tilted as if he were lying down. "That move isn't easy... and he's mastered even this?"

But Sendō didn't release the ball during his fadeaway.

Instead, he hung in the air, waiting until the very last moment before tossing the ball lightly toward the basket just before hitting the ground.

Akagi, puzzled, watched as Sendō almost collapsed to the floor.

"What kind of shot is that?"

"Wait!"

Suddenly realizing something, Akagi turned to look at the hoop.

A massive figure soared into the air, grabbing the ball Sendō had tossed. With a powerful slam, it smashed through the hoop.

The sheer force made the backboard tremble.

"An alley-oop!"

"Awesome, Uozumi-senpai! Sendō-senpai!"

"This is the real strength Sendō should be showing!"

Ryu watched as Sendō was helped up by his teammates. A slight surprise flickered in his expression.

"As expected of Sendō," he thought.

But there was no disappointment.

Ryu's eyes burned with determination.

"Now this is the kind of game I want to play!"