Disclaimer: As usual, the characters in Slam Dunk do not belong to me and belong to their respective owner(s). Aside from the characters I create, I do not mean to infringe on any current copyrights on the series and this fan fiction is merely a means of promoting Slam Dunk and to serve as a creative outlet for my writing. Thank you.
Authors Note: I'd just like to thank all the readers and writers on FanFiction. Also, thanks to Inoue Takehiko for creating the wonderful series and I hope he knows we are all still expecting that sequel someday.
Chapter 24 - Damage
"Looks like the gang is all here."
Haruko turned in her seat, instantly recognizing the familiar voice of Sakuragi's best friend.
"Youhei! How are all of you doing?" Haruko smiled to the Sakuragi Army, the entire group just settling into their seats behind the girls. Haruko and her two friends, Matsui and Fujii, had come relatively early to snag their seats. As usual, Haruko had made sure that the seats behind her were saved for the Sakuragi Army so the two groups could chat while the game went on. Their close vicinity was all the more important today, as the Kainan gym was already almost completely full and buzzing with activity and murmurs.
"Hanamichi better not mess up," Ookusu commented, scratching his blonde hair absently. "This game will decide if Shohoku can get into the Nationals, right?"
"Sakuragi-kun won't," Haruko said stubbornly, immediately sticking up for the redhead. "He promised to help Shohoku win."
"Let's hope so. I don't think we're the only ones that still remember what happened the last time he played against Kainan," Youhei said solemnly, lacing his fingers behind his head.
The small gang reflected silently on the final pass of the Kainan match last year: a game-ending turnover in which Sakuragi passed to Takasago, the center of the Kainan team, instead of Akagi.
A singular thought had never left anyone's mind since that day:
If Hanamichi had made the correct pass… what would have happened?
"It might affect Sakuragi-kun's performance to have such memories," Fujii said quietly, looking as if she wanted to forget that mistake herself.
"Shohoku needs everyone to play their best to win," Matsui added.
"I'm sure our captain will be able to help everyone get into the right frame of mind," Haruko assured the others, nodding assertively to convey her confidence.
"Right. Miyagi's the captain," Youhei agreed, relaxing somewhat. "I'm sure he already has a plan for the team."
"I have no freaking idea what to do," Miyagi moaned, resting his hands in his palms. Miyagi had run into the restroom and locked himself in one of the stalls, trying to seek refuge from the sounds of the crowd and the sight of the players. What's more, he didn't want Ayako to see him nervous.
How did Akagi deal with this pressure? Miyagi wondered as he pondered his situation. My brain feels cloudy just trying to formulate what to say to the players…
The creak of the stall's door next to his snapped Miyagi out of his thoughts, and in the exact same moment the Shohoku captain heard a very familiar voice huff a major sigh of his own.
"Calm down. Calm down. What the hell am I going to do?"
Miyagi's ears perked. "Mitsui? That you?"
"Miyagi?"
The two seniors of the team cautiously exited their stalls, awkwardly staring at one another as they came to terms that there was no getting out of this one. After a few moments of blank staring, Miyagi couldn't help but laugh.
"Worried, vice-captain?"
"This happens to me all the time," Mitsui shrugged, a smile of his own stretching across his face now that the tense moment had passed. "It's more of a surprise to see you here, captain."
Miyagi shook his head, not understanding.
Mitsui sighed lightly. "I thought we told you yesterday. Don't panic over this or some of the team will follow your example and worry."
"I just wanted some quiet, that's all," Miyagi lied, trying to deny his nervousness.
Mitsui didn't fall for it. "Right. Look, we all get nervous. Just because you're the captain doesn't mean you can't be nervous. But it's almost game time, and it's time for you to get back in the proper mindset. Akagi had moments where he got nervous, but come game time he would always lead without fail. You know that."
Miyagi considered these words, reflecting on the stability that Akagi brought to the team.
"I'm not Akagi."
"No. You're not." Mitsui turned to leave. "The void Akagi left is too big for any of us to fill. So be Captain Miyagi instead."
Mitsui stepped out of the restroom with just those words of encouragement.
"Hey."
Mitsui glanced over his shoulder, heeding Miyagi's hail. Miyagi nodded once, wanting to say thanks but finding himself not quite able to. Mitsui nodded back just the same, recognizing that. Miyagi fell into step next to Mitsui and the two sauntered back to the lockers, the momentary moment of weakness already forgotten.
The rest of the Shohoku starters were dealing with pre-game anxieties in their own way. Hiroshi, typical to his behavior, didn't know what to expect so he didn't look worried about the match at all; instead he was sitting at one of the benches, deep in thought over the matchups. Sakuragi was sitting on the floor, his back propped against the wall, looking as if he couldn't wait another second to just get onto the court. Rukawa was standing just far enough away from his rival with a stoic expression, his arms crossed, one foot against the wall and the other on the floor.
Anzai and Ayako were the first to notice two seniors' return, with Ayako immediately stepping up with a scowl on her face.
"Did you guys forget there was a match today?" Ayako asked impatiently.
"Sorry," Mitsui said bluntly before he made his way over to stand next to Sakuragi. Miyagi quietly assumed his position next to Anzai, already felt the blood rushing to his cheeks when he had heard Ayako's voice.
Anzai cleared his throat, ready to begin his pre-game speech.
"As you all know, today's match will determine if Shohoku is worthy of taking the last seat available in Kanagawa to the Nationals. Ayako has informed me that Ryonan had defeated Shoyo earlier today. This means Ryonan will be the other team representing Kanagawa."
Not a surprise there, Mitsui thought.
"Kainan High is a remarkable school with a history of winning. For the past 17 years, they have made it to the Nationals without fail."
Anzai paused and looked at all his players, gauging their reactions.
"What they did in the past does not matter today. You must all have the determination to win. You must all be focused on just one single game. It takes only one single moment to change the path of history."
Anzai fell silent as the cheers of the gym began to grow louder, echoing into the lockers.
"It's time to go," Ayako said simply.
Miyagi took a breath and nodded confidentially. "Guys, this one is ours for the taking!"
The other players roared in agreement before making their way to the corridor leading to the main court. Rukawa quickly tugged on his arm band, Miyagi slipped on his wrist bands, Mitsui checked that the protective brace around his left knee was in place, and Hiroshi and Sakuragi tugged on their shoes as the starters readied themselves for the game.
Sakuragi grinned as his shoes slipped on, the Nike Air Jordans bringing him so many memories from all the matches he had as a member of the Shohoku team. His smile froze midway when he abruptly remembered a mistake he made at this exact gym last year.
A single wrong pass.
"It takes only one single moment to change the path of history."
No no, I'm over that! Sakuragi shook his head and rose to his feet, trying his best to pump up his own morale.
"Let's kick some ass!" Sakuragi shouted, galloping towards the exit.
Ayako gave Miyagi a discreet pat on the back. "Ryota. Good luck out there."
"Ah… thanks…" Miyagi turned his head just enough so Ayako wouldn't see the blush on his cheeks.
Miyagi quickly strode out of the lockers, catching up with the rest of his teammates as they stepped onto the courts. The sight of the large crowd was awe-inspiring, and even their previous match against Ryonan could not compare to the amount of people that had shown up to support Kainan High.
Mitsui nudged Miyagi and pointed to the stands discreetly. Miyagi followed the direction that Mitsui was referencing to and was greeted with an unsurprising sight: the Ryonan High basketball team. Fujima was sitting just behind the group—it was likely that Sendoh had seen the former star and had actively recruited them to all sit together.
Rukawa, if he had seen Ryonan, didn't show any signs of recognition and instead focused his attention towards center court where an announcer was trying to quiet the crowd.
"Oh man, they're going to do the whole introductions things again, aren't they?" Miyagi groaned, remembering. Mitsui sighed in agreement, looking none too happy about the extent of the attention they were getting.
"Kainan doesn't do things halfway," Mitsui commented.
The young man at center of the court, cleared his throat loudly into the microphone.
"Everyone? Everyone, may I have your attention please?"
The crowd's volume lowered somewhat but there was still a great deal of jabbering going around. The announcer continued despite the noise, aware he would not be able to get everyone to focus for such an important game.
"Let me introduce the starters for today's match. Red Team, Shohoku High. For the guard positions, #4, Ryota Miyagi..."
Miyagi quickly stepped onto the court and blocked out the comments from the crowd, knowing that some who were seeing him for the first time were undoubtedly making fun of his short stature.
"… and #5, Mitsui Hisashi."
Mitsui tugged at his shorts as he stepped up alongside Miyagi, the two seniors all business. A small cheer erupted from one corner of the gym, the source being none other than Nori and the other group of gangsters that still followed Mitsui's basketball career.
"For the forward positions, #11, Rukawa Kaede and #13, Kazuo Hiroshi."
Hiroshi didn't seem bothered by the amount of attention that Kainan was offering a no-name rookie like himself, instead sidling up next to Miyagi and keeping his gaze away from the crowd. The Rukawa Brigade erupted in cheers as Rukawa took the court, loud enough to overwhelm some boos from the Kainan supporters. A large majority of the crowd seemed to at least recognize Rukawa, and a lot of whispering and pointing went on as soon as Rukawa strode up to join his seniors.
Rukawa, of course, ignored it all.
"For the center position, #10, Sakuragi Hanamichi."
"Hanamichi!" the Sakuragi Army screamed from the stands. Just like Rukawa, Sakuragi was also being recognized, with a few pointing out his strangely colored hair: some with familiarity, some with jest, and others with horror.
"Hm…" Sakuragi said disappointedly as he joined the rest of his teammates, looking the least pleased out of the group. "I was expecting more attention for this Tensai…"
"White Team, Kainan High," the announcer continued, his words followed by a deafening cheer from the crowd. The Shohoku players' hands quickly shot to their ears.
"It's so damn loud," Miyagi shouted.
"What?!" Mitsui yelled in response.
"I said it's really loud!"
"What?!"
Miyagi shook his head, realizing that no one would hear his words.
"At the guard positions: #14 Uchimura Takeshi and #7 Kiyota Nobunaga."
The females of the audience took full control of the cheers this time, seeming to be completely stricken by the looks of Takeshi and Kiyota. While Kiyota was welcoming the attention, Takeshi merely kept his hands on his hips, looking impatient to just start playing.
"At small forward, #4 Jin Soichiro. And at power forward, #10 Tezuka Taro."
Joining the adoring cheers was loud applause upon the mentioning of Jin, who had now become captain of Kainan High after Maki retired. The crowd clearly appreciated the work Jin had put into the team, as well as his boyish good looks.
"At center, #15 Abe Masami."
Abe took the floor with a calm demeanor. The new frontcourt of Kainan seemed as dangerous as before, with Tezuka sporting an athletic, wide frame and Abe with enough height and length to look like a legitimate threat.
The applause and cheers finally quieted as the players lined up in the middle, sizing each other up as they went around shaking hands.
Ayako quickly consulted her stats sheet, seeing the matchups for herself.
Point Guard
#4 Miyagi Ryota (3rd year)- 170 cm, 60 kg
#14 Uchimura Takeshi (1st year)- 179 cm, 65 kg
Shooting Guard:
#5 Mitsui Hisashi (3rd year)- 186 cm, 71 kg
#7 Kiyota Nobunaga (2nd year)- 180 cm, 65 kg
Small Forward:
#11 Rukawa Kaede (2nd year)- 189 cm, 76 kg
#4 Jin Soichiro (3rd year)- 189 cm, 71 kg
Power Forward:
#13 Kazuo Hiroshi (1st year)- 190 cm, 77 kg
#10 Tezuka Taro (2nd year)- 191 cm, 85 kg
Center:
#10 Sakuragi Hanamichi (2nd year)- 192 cm, 84 kg
#15 Abe Masami (1st year)- 194 cm, 87 kg
Pretty much even when it comes to size, Ayako thought. And like I thought, there are two first years for Kainan this time. For a school that prides itself on winning and a heavy selection process, this could only mean that these first years must be clearly superior to the seniors at the same position.
Ayako raised her head, the thought lingering in her mind. We must not let our guard down, no matter what…
Miyagi tapped fists with the Kainan players amicably until he reached Takeshi and Jin. With Takeshi, the other point guard clearly did not seem to want to even express any form of sportsmanship and instead tilted his head up in greeting, refusing to bump knuckles with Miyagi.
Miyagi narrowed his eyes in displeasure but moved on to Jin, who took the time to shake Miyagi's hand with genuine respect.
"I had no doubts that we would play against each other again this year, Miyagi," Jin smiled, placid as ever. Miyagi couldn't help but return his smile.
"Wouldn't want to play against any other team. Beating the best will make that Kanagawa seat feel all the better."
"Pride cometh before a fall," Jin said simply, knocking down Miyagi's challenge in an instant. "Good luck today."
Miyagi nodded, giving Jin a pat on the shoulder. "Same to you."
While the captains were shining examples of professionalism, the meeting between Sakuragi and Kiyota could only be dubbed childish.
"I see you have your losing face on today, Wild Monkey!"
"Lose? I don't know what you're talking about, Nationals loser! Kainan High made it all the way to the Finals last year!"
"Only because we beat Sannoh! You guys got the easy route! Because of us!"
"Easy? Or rather, we were so good that we made it look easy?"
Sakuragi was on the brink of explosion. "Wild Monkey, you couldn't ever beat us!"
"We did last time, didn't we?"
"You got lucky!"
"Oh, I'm sure," Kiyota shrugged. "How did it feel, passing to the wrong player at the final seconds? Maybe that's why you passed to Rukawa in the Sannoh game… you thought it was someone else?"
Those words really hit Sakuragi hard. Sakuragi didn't really care that he has passed to his rival Rukawa, because Rukawa had returned the favor and trusted Sakuragi with the final shot. However, that remark about messing up last year…
"I'm going to kill you!" Sakuragi was stopped by a swift kick to his rear. Kiyota's insults were also halted by Jin, who was pulling on Kiyota's long hair.
Miyagi looked at Jin. "As I said, I hope we have a good game."
"As do I," Jin repeated, dragging Kiyota away. Miyagi gave Sakuragi another kick.
"What the hell was that?! Stop arguing before a match!"
Kiyota turned towards Rukawa. "Rukawa, I'll be sure to beat you down today too."
Rukawa sighed. "All talk…"
"What?!" Kiyota began to race towards Rukawa, but Jin tugged on Kiyota's ear this time to stop him.
"Quit it," Jin said absently, dragging Kiyota further away.
Hiroshi scratched his head, not really understanding what just went on. Mitsui sighed.
"Idiots…"
"Might want to control your own players. Shohoku captain."
Miyagi turned towards the voice. It was from Takeshi, who had a grin on his face that wasn't kind at all.
Miyagi didn't care. "I don't control them. I lead. Kainan newbie." Miyagi quickly walked away, not noticing that Takeshi's face had darkened.
On the sidelines, Anzai and Takato were similarly greeting one another with a handshake.
"Good luck today Anzai-sensei," Takato said simply, fanning himself with his signature fan.
Anzai nodded, the two recognizing that there wasn't much to say to one another for such an important game. "And you as well."
Meanwhile, Sakuragi and Kiyota shot each other threatening looks.
Sakuragi went up for the opening tip against Masami.
"Here it goes…" Ayako whispered from the sidelines. Anzai nodded quietly.
The Sakuragi Army and Haruko's group watched in anticipation. Good luck… Haruko thought as the ball flew into the air.
"Mine!" Sakuragi exploded into the air, obviously still angry over his argument with Kiyota.
Miyagi's eyes widened. He's… jumping even higher than usual!
Sakuragi tapped the ball to Mitsui, who quickly passed to Hiroshi. Hiroshi began running towards Shohoku's basket, and cut right between Taro and Jin before throwing down a one-handed dunk. 2-0.
"Nice, Hiro!" Sakuragi chortled, as Hiroshi and Sakuragi high-fived.
Good, morale is looking stable… Miyagi smiled to himself.
Mitsui watched Jin move downcourt, then shifted his attention back to Kiyota. Kiyota grinned at Mitsui.
"Sure you can guard me?"
"Positive," Mitsui said, crouching into defensive position. Jin passed the ball to Kiyota, who brought the ball near his knees.
"We'll see, then," Kiyota burst forward, surprising Mitsui as he went past Mitsui.
Mitsui berated himself. He's faster, but I should have caught that…!
Kiyota raced to the basket and prepared for a dunk, again surprising the crowd as he soared into the air with his amazing vertical. However, his dunk was stuffed by Rukawa.
Kiyota opened his mouth in surprise. "Rukawa?"
Hiroshi stretched out his long arm and stole the loose ball from right under Taro. Hiroshi scanned the floor and heaved the ball down to Miyagi. Miyagi caught the ball with his back to the basket, then flipped it behind his head without hesitation.
"What the…" Kiyota managed to say before seeing Sakuragi race from the side of the basket and catch the ball in mid-air before slamming the ball in.
"Wow! Hanamachi!" The Sakuragi Army cheered, as the crowd had grown strangely silent from Shohoku's quick attack.
Sendoh smiled from the stands. "Fabulous pass by Miyagi."
Fujima nodded. "Shohoku seems to be playing with much more teamwork now."
Sakuragi flexed and pumped his hand in the air. "How's that, Kainan?!"
What disrespect, Takato thought from his seat. Although I must admit, I'm surprised that he seems to be playing pretty well…
Jin inbounded to Takeshi, but Takeshi took off without even waiting for Jin to step back in. "Hey, Takeshi…!"
Takeshi ignored Jin as he raced downcourt. However, Miyagi followed him easily.
"What's wrong, 'Ghost?'" Miyagi taunted. "You aren't that fast at all!"
Takeshi shot Miyagi a glare. "Shut up."
Hiroshi instantly stole the ball from Takeshi when he turned his head. Miyagi shook his head in disbelief. A point guard not paying attention to the ball?
Hiroshi raced downcourt, then bounced the ball behind to Mitsui. Mitsui passed left to Rukawa, who shot a mid-range jumper that swished through. 6-0.
"This is Kainan?" Youhei watched in disbelief. "Shohoku is crushing them…"
Sendoh, however, didn't look as shocked from the upper stands. Fujima gave Sendoh a look. "Shohoku is playing well, huh?"
"Perhaps…" Sendoh replied. "But, I'm not sure even they notice…"
"Hm?"
Sendoh scratched his head. "Well, I didn't notice it at first either… that's why our scores were so high when we played them. But Kainan is forcing Shohoku into their fast tempo…"
Sendoh's gaze shifted down to the court. "I'm not sure how Shohoku will do at such a fast-paced game, but they better be careful… not only are they playing at Kainan's pace, but they're also at Kainan's home court…"
Kiyota took the ball and inbounded to Jin. Jin passed back to Kiyota, and Kiyota took the ball upcourt. As soon as he reached the top of the key, he sent the ball to Taro.
Taro took the ball, and turned slowly. Hiroshi's hand darted out in a blur, knocking the ball out of bounds.
"Kainan ball!" the referee called. Taro looked at Hiroshi in slight awe, apparently having never seen anyone defend him that tightly.
Mitsui noticed Hiroshi's play. He's shutting down Taro pretty easily… looks like my prediction was right; Taro isn't a very good player.
Taro took the ball out of bounds, and passed right to Jin. Jin prepared to shoot the three-pointer, but Rukawa didn't even move to defend it.
"What's he doing?" Ayako wondered. Then she noticed… Jin had tried to fake Rukawa, but Rukawa had seen through it.
Damn, Jin thought, quickly dribbling right before flipping a pass to Masami. Masami tried to back into Sakuragi, but Sakuragi's mammoth strength held him back.
"Nice try," Sakuragi grunted. "But this Tensai's defensive skills are unsurpassed!"
Masami stopped his dribble, turned, and shot a fadeaway that swished through the net. Sakuragi looked at the center in surprise as Masami jogged to the other side of the court.
Mitsui nodded. Yep, Sakuragi better be careful… Masami looks like a good center…
The scoreboard read 6-2, with 18:43 remaining.
Mitsui inbounded to Miyagi, who zipped downcourt, not realizing that using his speed to encourage a fast tempo might be detrimental to the team. Miyagi sent the ball to Rukawa.
Rukawa found himself immediately double-teammed by Jin and Kiyota. Rukawa's eyes darted around the court, realizing that if he was double-teammed, a teammate was open.
The ball found its way to Mitsui, who shot a jumper. It clanged off the rim, but Sakuragi outjumped Masami to take the offensive rebound.
Sakuragi hurled the ball out from the paint and it went straight back to Miyagi. Miyagi paused, then cut into the lane, drawing Takeshi and Masami to him. Miyagi wrapped a pass around Masami's large body, and the ball floated back out to Mitsui. Mitsui's jumper this time was true, as it splashed through the net with a resounding swish.
"Nice rebound! Nice pass!" Mitsui called as he backpedaled onto defense.
Jin took the ball. Mitsui… you're still such a good shooter…
Jin passed to Kiyota, who again took the ball up. Kiyota decided to send the ball over to Takeshi, who abruptly shot a three-pointer.
"Hey, don't force it!" Kiyota called, albeit too late. The ball hit the back of the rim and bounced back out, and Sakuragi ripped down the rebound.
"Sakuragi!" Mitsui motioned. Sakuragi immediately passed to Mitsui, who sent a bullet pass right to Miyagi. Miyagi hurled the ball up to the air.
Ayako watched in surprise. Another alley-oop…?
Hiroshi leaped into the air, but the ball glanced off his fingertips and went out of bounds. Miyagi smiled at Hiroshi as soon as Hiroshi landed.
"Sorry, the pass was a little high."
Hiroshi grinned. "Don't worry about it."
The referee gave the ball to Taro, who passed to Jin. Jin heaved the ball downcourt to Masami, who jumped into the air to catch the ball. Masami turned, and Sakuragi immediately crouched into defensive position, since the two centers were pretty far from the paint.
Hiroshi watched Sakuragi in approval. Hey, not bad…
Masami tried to drive in, but Sakuragi's right hand slapped the ball out from under Masami.
Unfortunately, it went to Jin's hands.
"Uh oh," Mitsui murmured as Jin let fly his three-pointer, despite Rukawa guarding him. The three-pointer hung in the air, then began descending straight to the hoop. It swished through, still continuing the path of an arch after it went through the net. 8-5.
Even Haruko watched in awe. That shot… was beautiful…
The crowd applauded. "Great, Jin!"'
Fujima nodded. "I see what you mean, Sendoh. The two teams may be shooting well, but it's going at Kainan's game tempo."
"Right," Sendoh said. "Shohoku might need to slow things down a bit and play tighter defense to avoid playing Kainan style basketball."
Miyagi bounced the ball to Rukawa, and the two went downcourt. Rukawa stopped, then passed to Miyagi. Miyagi skipped the ball to Hiroshi.
Hiroshi tried a fake against Taro, but Taro didn't budge. Hiroshi circled the faked shot attempt around, then exploded forward into a quick dribble that left Taro in the dust. Hiroshi leaped into Masami, then threw the ball back out to Rukawa. Rukawa tried another jumper, but it missed this time.
Sakuragi again took the rebound. "Useless fox!" Sakuragi passed out to Miyagi.
Miyagi watched Takeshi. "For someone that has been hyped so much, I was expecting better competition," Miyagi commented, starting to dribble a bit.
Takeshi clenched his jaw. "I'm going to beat you down, shorty."
Miyagi's eyes narrowed. "I'm not shorty. Don't call me that… ever."
Miyagi raced forward as Masami, Taro, and Takeshi collapsed on the small point guard when he reached the paint. The ball managed to fly out of the group around him and into Mitsui's hands.
Mitsui smoothly shot a jumper that caught nothing but net. 10-5.
Kiyota fumed a bit. "Damnit, how are they beating us?!"
"Keep calm," Jin advised, as he passed to Takeshi. Takeshi apparently didn't heed Jin's advice, as he ran downcourt, again not giving the offense a chance to set up.
Takeshi tried to lay the ball up, but Sakuragi sprang into the air and blocked the lay up. Sakuragi pointed at Takeshi.
"Don't bring those obvious shots into my territory!"
Hiroshi scooped up the loose ball and heaved it downcourt to Miyagi. Miyagi did a smooth behind-the-back pass to Mitsui, who was being guarded by Masami and Jin.
Mitsui dribbled to get a bit closer, then shot a jumper. However, Masami jumped towards Mitsui and distracted him enough for his shot to miss.
The ball managed to bounce back out towards Mitsui. Mitsui leaped into the air and caught the rebound, but when he landed, he felt his left foot land on something awkwardly.
His left ankle turned, and Mitsui's eyes widened in pain. His right foot managed to make contact with the floor normally, but Mitsui couldn't keep his balance. He stumbled forward once, then let go of the ball as he crashed onto the floor.
Masami took the loose ball and threw the ball downcourt to Takeshi. Jin, on the other hand, was already yelling for his team to stop.
"Guys, stop! Mitsui landed on my foot, and he turned his ankle!"
Takeshi ignored Jin as he raced past Miyagi, who was running the other way to check on his friend. Takeshi took the ball to the basket easily and scored on the layup, making the scores 10-7.
Sakuragi was the first to reach Mitsui, who was still on the floor, his two hands wrapped around his ankle and his face contorted in pain. "Micchi!"
"Mitsui!" Nori and the gang called in concern from the stands, seeing their idol hurt. The Shohoku bench stood in horror.
Hiroshi turned towards a referee as he raced to his fallen friend. "We need a timeout. One of our players is hurt."
The referee consented. "Timeout, Shohoku!"
Shohoku's brilliant start had come to an abrupt halt… and there was still 16:58 left for the first half.