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

Time flew by like a fleeting horse, and before anyone realized it, it was already May 15th.

At Shohoku High School's gym, Ayako walked in excitedly, holding the tournament schedule for the Kanagawa Prefectural Tournament in her hands.

"Akagi-senpai!" she called out.

"The matchups are set! This is the official schedule for the prefectural tournament."

"Come over and let's take a look. We need to analyze our opponents."

Akagi nodded, turning toward the team, who were busy practicing. He raised his voice.

"Everyone, gather around!"

Ayako spread the schedule on the table, and the team huddled around to examine it.

"This time, our group doesn't look so easy," one of the senior players, Shiozaki, commented while looking at the list.

"Yeah, but this is our chance to make it past the regional tournament and qualify for nationals!"

"We'll have to face Ryonan again, too," someone muttered.

Hearing Ryonan's name, Sakuragi glared at the paper, his face burning with determination.

"This time, I'll take down Sendoh! With me, the genius Sakuragi Hanamichi, leading the way, we'll crush Ryonan!"

"Ha. You?" Rukawa retorted with his usual disdain.

"You dumb fox! Are you asking for a fight?" Sakuragi snapped.

"Idiot," Rukawa replied flatly.

Whack!

Akagi's fist landed squarely on Sakuragi's head.

"Shut up, moron!"

Kogure quickly stepped in to calm the situation.

"To beat Ryonan, we'll need to take down every team in our group first," he said patiently.

Kuwata scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"What does it take to qualify?"

"The top two teams from each group advance," Ayako explained, pointing to the schedule.

"This year, we'll face Kanagawa's strongest—Shoyo and Kainan High."

At the mention of Kainan and Shoyo, everyone except Ryu and Rukawa grew tense.

Shoyo was in Shohoku's group and was a formidable opponent in the semifinals.

"Shoyo and Kainan are Kanagawa's two strongest teams," Kuwata muttered nervously.

"Even Ryonan couldn't beat them last year?" Sakuragi asked curiously.

"Ryonan came third, losing to Shoyo and Kainan," Yasuda explained patiently. "They didn't make it to nationals."

"And Shoyo is always strong," he continued. "Their captain, Fujima Kenji, is both an incredible point guard and their coach."

The first-years exchanged uneasy glances, awed by Fujima's reputation.

Ryu, noticing their tension, smirked and spoke confidently.

"Shohoku's goal is to dominate the nation. Are we really going to stop at just winning the semifinals? Shoyo's our opponent? Then we'll beat them. What's there to be afraid of?"

Ryu gave Akagi a knowing look, and Akagi immediately picked up on it, rallying the team.

"Our goal is clear!" Akagi bellowed.

"To dominate the nation! Beat Shoyo! Beat Kainan!"

The team's spirits lifted, and their nervousness began to fade. Ayako gave Ryu an approving glance. His knack for inspiring confidence was impressive.

"Our first-round opponent is Miuradai," Ayako said, pointing to their initial matchup.

"They're no pushover. Last year, they made it all the way to the semifinals before losing to Kainan."

Her tone grew serious as she addressed the team.

"They're likely even stronger this year, so we can't take them lightly."

The first-years tensed again.

"Our first game is against such a tough opponent?"

"Miuradai made it to the quarterfinals last year. Why are we facing them in the first round?"

Whack! Whack! Whack!

Akagi's fists came down hard on Kuwata and the others, leaving visible lumps on their heads.

"Stop being cowards! Our goal is to dominate the nation!" he roared.

"These last few days, keep training hard. Improve your skills. Stay focused during the games, and don't overthink things. I'll handle the rest."

Ryu gave a confident grin, pounding his chest.

"Don't worry. I've got this."

"Show-off," Mitsui muttered playfully, stepping up beside Akagi.

"Miuradai's decent, but remember—our goal is national domination! Let's do this!"

"National domination!" the team shouted back in unison, their fighting spirit reignited.

Coach Anzai watched from the sidelines, his glasses glinting as he smiled contentedly. Without a word, he left the gym, knowing the team's morale was high.

"Alright," Akagi said. "We'll focus on targeted training for the next few days. Sakuragi, you'll be practicing your moves under the basket."

"What?! No way! I want to train with everyone else!" Sakuragi protested.

"Shut up!" Akagi barked, landing another solid punch on Sakuragi's head.

"Damn you, gorilla!" Sakuragi grumbled, clutching his aching head as he begrudgingly returned to his individual training.

Ryu watched Sakuragi with a thoughtful expression.

"What is it, Ryu? Thinking about joining him for some under-the-basket drills?" Mitsui teased.

Ryu didn't respond, instead catching a pass from Kuwata and sinking a clean three-pointer.

"Coach Anzai must be planning to use Sakuragi as a secret weapon," Ryu thought silently.

As the minutes turned to hours, night fell, but the gym remained alive with the sounds of practice.

The players were determined, channeling their focus and energy into preparing for the prefectural tournament.

The fire in their hearts burned fiercely.

The days ahead would be their final preparations for the national high school basketball tournament.