As soon as Coach Anzai finished speaking, everyone on the basketball team was in shock.
"Ryonan High School?? Weren't they among the top four in the district competition last year?"
"Yeah, are we really going to play against them?"
The first-years, like Iishi, looked confused at the upperclassmen.
"Senpai, is Ryonan that strong?"
The vice-captain Kogure nodded and explained:
"Ryonan almost qualified for the national tournament last year. We've played against them before, and we couldn't keep up."
That revelation left almost all the first-years frozen… except Sakuragi, who as always, didn't understand anything.
"With this genius here, Ryonan is nothing!" he shouted confidently.
"Idiot" muttered Kaede Rukawa, turning around with disdain.
Coach Anzai calmly added:
"But before that, the first-years will play a game against the veterans."
Sakuragi jumped with joy.
"A game? Perfect! It's time to show off my super-invincible dunk."
"You've still got a long way to go. Get back to basic training" said Akagi, crushing his hopes with a single glance.
Meanwhile, Nash smiled calmly when he heard the word "game," but inside, his blood was boiling with excitement.
(Perfect. It's about time I showed them what real basketball is.)
He gently rolled his neck and walked toward the bench.
Coach Anzai sat at the side of the court with his usual serenity, ready to observe. As soon as warm-ups began, word about the game started to spread. In just a few minutes, the gym was full of curious students.
Even Sakuragi's delinquent friends showed up, making fun of their red-haired buddy, who was still doing basic drills.
Sakuragi muttered under his breath:
"Gorilla… if you don't let me play, just wait. Next time, I'll dunk it right in your face."
Warm-ups ended quickly, and both teams got ready.The first-year team was made up of Nash, Kaede Rukawa, Iishi, Sasaoka, and Kuwata.The veteran team had Akagi, Kakuta, Kogure, Yasuda, and Shiozaki.
The tip-off would be between Akagi and Rukawa.
"Beeep!"
Ayako blew the whistle.
Both players jumped at the same time, but the imposing 197 cm Akagi clearly won, tipping the ball toward Kogure.
"Nice elevation" said Coach Anzai with a small smile, though his eyes were locked on Rukawa.
Kogure didn't hesitate for a second. He took advantage of a slip-up by Iishi and got past him easily, finishing with a clean layup.
0:2
"Well done!"
"Let's show them what we're made of!"
The veterans high-fived each other, full of confidence.
The first-years, on the other hand, were already discouraged… except for Nash.
When it was their turn to inbound the ball, Nash calmly walked to the baseline and raised his hand.
"Huh? He's going to bring the ball up?" someone murmured. "With that height?"
Iishi hesitated, but eventually passed him the ball.
Nash advanced slowly, scanning the defense. Yasuda approached confidently to guard him.
"You're not getting past, rookie."
Without saying a word, Nash gave a small shoulder fake. Yasuda bit and lunged to the left. At that instant, Nash exploded to the right with blinding speed.
Yasuda was completely out of position.
Kogure came in to cover.
"You're not getting through!"
Nash gave a cold smile.
With a quick double fake and a deadly change of pace, his movements became unreadable.
Kogure reacted late and lost his balance… falling to the ground.
Nash calmly laid the ball in.
2:2
The gym erupted in screams!
"That was incredible!"
"Did you see that move!?"
Even Iishi and Kuwata ran toward him.
"That was awesome! If Kogure-senpai hadn't fallen, I'm not sure we would've scored."
Nash just smiled and nodded.
"Mmh. Thanks."
But Rukawa wasn't fooled.
(He didn't just fall… Nash broke him with that crossover.)
Rukawa narrowed his eyes.
(That wasn't luck. This guy… he's good. Maybe even better than me.)
On the bench, Ayako blinked in surprise.
"What a move..."
Coach Anzai let out a slight chuckle.
"Good court vision, quick hands, and a flawless fake without losing balance. In those three things… he's already above Miyagi."
"Eh!?"
Ayako's jaw dropped. Coach Anzai… comparing this rookie to their starting point guard?
But he said nothing else. His eyes remained fixed on Nash.
Ayako also looked back at the court, watching the blond-haired boy fall back into defense with a calm expression.
(Who is this guy really…?)
Meanwhile, you could see Haruko in a full fangirl mode cheering for Nash in the background.