Slam Dunk: My physical abilities can be increased indefinitely.

Chapter 20 Hainan Battle: A Fierce Battle

The area outside the stadium was packed with people.

When Sendoh got off the bus, the stands were already more than half full. Blue and white jerseys were mixed together. Some people were shouting "Hainan will win!" while others were shouting "Ryonan, keep going!" The two voices overlapped, and it was impossible to hear either one clearly.

Off-road caught up from behind, ignoring the fact that his backpack strap had slipped down to his elbow. His face was even paler than yesterday. "Sendoh, listen—there are at least two thousand people in here."

"more than."

How did you know?

"I counted."

Yueye paused for a moment, then asked, "You really counted?"

"Just kidding."

"...Could you please not say things like that before the match? My heart can't take it."

Sendoh ignored him, lowered his head and walked into the players' tunnel. There was a strong smell of cleaning agents and sweat in the air, probably left over from another school's game yesterday.

The locker room door was made of sheet metal, with a printed sign that read "Ryonan High School".

Taoka stood at the door waiting for them, a pen between his fingers, its cap covered in teeth marks.

"Everyone, come in. I have a few words to say."

Everyone squeezed into the locker room.

The room wasn't big; ten lockers were lined up in a row, each with a number on it. Sendoh's locker was number seven, located at the very back, next to the window.

The window was opened a crack, and muffled sounds from outside seeped in through the gap.

Taoka closed the door, and his voice suddenly turned somber.

Last year, we played Hainan in the same venue at the same time. We went into overtime and lost. Uozumi missed the last shot, not because of a technical problem, but because he faltered.

Why did my hands go weak? Because the opponent was Shinichi Maki, and because the opposing team was Hainan, the champions for sixteen consecutive years. Standing in front of them, my legs would shake, my hands would get cold, and my mind would go blank. I've experienced all of that; I felt the same way when I was a player.

He paused for a moment, put the pen on the table, and the pen rolled twice before hitting the wall and stopping.

"But you guys are different today. Why are you different? Because after Sendoh came out of the Hainan training center yesterday, he said something to me: 'Maki Shinichi is strong, but I am stronger.' Remember this sentence: Maki Shinichi is strong, but you are stronger."

Yueye's hands, gripping the towel, were trembling. It wasn't from the cold; it was the uncontrollable trembling of muscles when adrenaline surges.

Uozumi sat in front of the cabinet, eyes closed, hands on his knees, his heels tapping the ground in a rapid, rhythmic thud.

Sendoh opened the cabinet and started changing his shoes. He tied the shoelaces twice, then took them apart and re-tied them. It wasn't until the third time that he felt they were just right.

Taoka finished reading out the starting lineup: Uekusa, Sendoh, Koshino, Fukuda, Uozumi, the same as the first game, no changes.

"I'm gone."

Uozumi was the first to stand up and walk out, taking long strides and making a loud thud as his sneakers hit the floor.

Sendoh was the last to walk, and he paused briefly as he passed Taoka.

"coach."

"Um."

"Use that tactic in the first round."

Taoka glanced at him. "Are you sure? Shouldn't we test the waters first?"

"No need. We're testing them, and they're testing us too. Whoever draws their sword first will gain the upper hand."

Taoka paused for a second, then picked up the chewed-up pen from the table and stuffed it into his pocket. "Okay."

At the end of the players' tunnel is the stadium entrance. Lights flood in from outside, blindingly white. The moment Sendoh walked out, the sound from the stands suddenly amplified tenfold.

Some people were screaming, some were whistling, and some were banging on the railings with empty bottles. The noise wasn't the gentle background music you hear in movies; it was real, deafening, and ear-piercing.

The Hainan players are already on the field.

Shinichi Maki stood near the center circle with his hands on his hips, watching Sendoh walk out of the passage.

His gaze was completely different from yesterday in the training hall. Yesterday it was a relaxed, tentative, and even somewhat friendly training gaze, but that was gone. Today his gaze was like a knife, not the kind that cuts down, but a knife about to be drawn, full of chilling intent.

Sendoh stood outside the three-point line in his own half of the court, bent down and touched the floor. The surface was very smooth, unlike the floor of Ryonan Training Center, which was worn and pitted by basketball shoes. Hainan's home court was too clean and new, and it felt like stepping on ice.

The referee walked into the center circle with the ball.

Uozumi and Hainan's center Kazuma Takasago stood face to face. The two were about the same height, but Takasago's lower body was heavier, his center of gravity was lower, and the muscles in his waist and legs bulged under his shorts.

The referee tossed the ball up.

Uozumi touched the ball first, his fingertip brushing against it, and the ball flew towards Sendoh.

When Sendoh received the ball, Maki Shinichi was already right in front of him, not just taking a half-step back to defend, but pressing right up to him, chest to chest.

Sendoh took a half step back to create some distance, but Maki Shinichi immediately closed in again, preventing him from accelerating.

Shinichi Maki's strategy was set from the beginning: prevent him from running. All of Sendoh's threats are based on speed. If there is no space to dribble, speed is zero.

Sendoh backed down, dribbled twice with his right hand, and called for a screen from Uozumi.

Uozumi moved up from under the basket to block Maki Shinichi's right side, while Sendoh accelerated to break through to the left.

Takasago switched positions, using his large body to defend against the smaller one, but Takasago's footwork was much faster than Sendoh had anticipated. His long legs moved sideways with remarkable speed, like a crab gliding across the battlefield.

Sendoh didn't force a drive; instead, he stopped abruptly, pulled the ball back, glanced at the basket, and made a fake shot.

Takasago was shaken up, his upper body leaned forward, his feet left the ground, and his palms reached up to Sendoh's head.

fake.

Without the slightest hesitation, Sendoh gathered the ball, darted past Takasago, jumped, and switched hands for a layup.

Hainan's weak-side help defense came two steps faster than he expected. Kiyota Nobunaga flew in from the bottom corner and slapped the ball solidly with his palm. The movement was clean and neat, without touching the wrist or fingers, but hitting the middle of the ball.

The ball was swatted out of bounds.

The referee signaled that Ryonan had possession of the ball, with sixteen seconds remaining.

After landing, Sendoh glanced at Kiyota Nobunaga. The guy was almost ten centimeters shorter than him, but his jumping ability was indeed good. Just now, the distance from the baseline to the basket for help defense was at least eight meters, and he only took a little over a second.

Kiyota Nobunaga clapped his hands after landing, the sound crisp and clear. "Sendoh-senpai! Your layup was beautiful, but I blocked it!"

Maki Shinichi glanced at Kiyota but didn't say anything.

Ryonan served again with only fourteen seconds left. Koshino stood outside the sideline with the ball. Sendoh made a screen to receive the ball, but Maki Shinichi stayed close to him, not giving him any comfortable angle to receive it.

When Sendoh received the ball, his body was already tilted and his center of gravity was not very stable, but he did not stop the ball and jumped up to shoot.

Three points.

Shinichi Maki's fingertip brushed against the bottom edge of the ball, causing it to be touched and its flight trajectory to deviate by about two or three centimeters. It bounced up on the right side of the rim, then bounced up on the left side, and rolled into the net on its third bounce.

After landing, Maki Shinichi glanced at his fingers and his lips twitched slightly.

Sendoh glanced at him without saying a word, then turned and went back to defend.