Ryonan High School Gymnasium
On the second-floor stands, three girls rushed in.
The trio—each with her own unique charm and personality—were Haruko Akagi and her two best friends, Matsui and Fujii.
"We made it just in time! Thank goodness the game's only just started," Haruko said, panting as she wiped the sweat from her forehead in relief.
Matsui shot her a glare, her tone sharp with irritation. "Seriously, this is all your fault. If you weren't so clumsy, we wouldn't have had to run like this!"
Haruko chuckled awkwardly, her cheeks flushing slightly. "You're saying that again!"
Just then, Fujii gasped and pointed toward a corner of the stands. "Look over there!"
Haruko and Matsui followed her gaze—and their faces instantly fell. All three of them wore expressions of disbelief mixed with quiet despair.
Not far away, three girls stood in a line near the edge of the stands, dressed in matching pink-and-white ultra-short cheerleader skirts—so short they were practically indecent.
Their outfits were almost comically exaggerated: sequined headbands, heavy blush painted on their cheeks, and bright yellow pom-poms shaking as they kicked high and shouted in unison with wild enthusiasm.
"Rukawa Kaede… I love you!"
"Rukawa Kaede… I love you!"
"Rukawa Kaede… I love you!"
Their voices were so loud they could have lifted the roof off the gym, echoing endlessly like some kind of hypnotic chant.
"Where did they even come from?" Aida Hikoichi muttered, staring blankly at the cheerleaders.
As a respectable high school boy, he knew he shouldn't stare—but his eyes refused to look away.
Those dangerously short skirts, the flashes of white legs, and occasional glimpses of a pale triangle beneath—it was enough to make every boy in the gym swallow hard and feel his heart race.
Even Ake cast them a single, indifferent glance.
Leaving basketball aside for a moment—in the world of Slam Dunk, when it came to devotion and persistence, no one could rival those three girls. Whether the game was in Kanagawa, Tokyo, or some faraway town, they always appeared out of nowhere, faithfully following Rukawa Kaede like shadows.
As the crowd gradually filled in and the atmosphere heated up, the game on the court was about to officially begin.
The Tip-Off
At center court, Uozumi and Takenori Akagi faced each other, their gazes sharp as blades.
Akagi's lips curled slightly in provocation.
"Hmph… I never thought that in just a few days, you'd lose your captain's position."
Uozumi snorted. He immediately saw through Akagi's attempt to provoke him. Both men were the pillars of their teams—each one's pride and intent easily understood without words.
"Even without the captain's armband," Uozumi replied coolly, "dealing with you is more than enough."
Ryonan's Starting Lineup
Center: Uozumi (No. 5, 3rd Year)
Power Forward: Ikegami Ryoji (2nd Year)
Small Forward: Sendoh (No. 7, 2nd Year)
Shooting Guard: Koshino Hiroaki (No. 8, 2nd Year)
Point Guard: Uekusa Tomoyuki (No. 9, 2nd Year)
(Since Ake took over as captain, his number naturally became No. 4.)
Shohoku's Starting Lineup
Center: Takenori Akagi (No. 4, 3rd Year)
Power Forward: Rukawa Kaede (No. 11, 1st Year)
Small Forward: Kogure Kiminobu (No. 5, 3rd Year)
Shooting Guard: Tetsushi Shiozaki (No. 8, 2nd Year)
Point Guard: Yasuharu Yasuda (No. 6, 2nd Year)
(Rukawa was supposed to be the number 10. Sakuragi didn't even had a jersey, so he took the number 10 from Rukawa and that's how Rukawa ended up with the number 11.)
The referee's sharp whistle sliced through the air.
Beep!
The basketball arced high above the center circle.
Uozumi and Akagi launched upward at the same time, their bodies surging like beasts, arms extended toward the ball.
"They're evenly matched," Ayako, standing courtside, gasped.
Their jumps, their timing, their movements—it was as if two mountains had collided midair.
Then—
Slap!
Akagi's fingertips flicked cleanly against the ball. With precision and control, it arced backward into Shohoku's backcourt.
Yasuda caught it smoothly, immediately pushing forward to start a fast break.
But Ryonan's defense stayed calm, reorganizing quickly and falling back in perfect order.
Uozumi turned and sprinted back, his towering frame anchoring the defense like a fortress gate. Planting himself firmly under the basket, he let out a roar that shook the court.
"Come on, Shohoku!"
His voice carried weight—intimidation, defiance, and dominance.
Yasuda's dribble faltered for a moment, his confidence wavering.
In that instant—
Swipe!
Uekusa Tomoyuki shot out from the side like lightning, stealing the ball cleanly from Yasuda's hands.
"Oh no!" Yasuda gasped and spun to chase, but Uekusa's speed was terrifying—far faster than before.
Months of grueling training had transformed him. His explosiveness, rhythm, and defensive timing had reached a new level.
He raced forward with perfect control, cutting through the court like wind. When Kogure stepped in to block his lane, Uekusa didn't hesitate.
A flick of the wrist—
The basketball shot across the court like an arrow, landing perfectly in Sendoh's hands.
Rukawa Kaede immediately closed in, his eyes sharp, his presence like a hunting predator.
Sendoh met his gaze head-on, calm and steady. Sparks flew in their silent standoff.
But just when everyone expected a one-on-one showdown—
Sendoh smiled faintly.
Then—whizz!—he fired a cross-court pass, slicing through the air toward Ikegami, who had slipped free from his defender.
Ikegami caught the ball, dashed into the paint, and—
Swish!
—scored the first basket of the game.
Ryonan 2 – 0 Shohoku.
Cheers erupted from Ryonan's bench like a tidal wave.
Coach Taoka Moichi stood courtside, arms crossed, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly in satisfaction.
But Ake, seated on the bench, remained motionless. Arms folded, posture straight, his hawk-like gaze scanned the court.
He didn't cheer. He didn't smile.
Because to him, the game had only just begun.
The counterattack came fast. Shohoku's ball moved quickly into the paint.
Takenori Akagi received it with his back to the basket, squaring up against Uozumi once again.
Two mountains collided—the gym's air seemed to freeze.
"Takenori Akagi…" Uozumi rumbled.
Akagi's eyes narrowed. He spun suddenly, faking a powerful drive. The crowd held its breath.
But instead of forcing a shot, Akagi faked and passed—lightning-fast—to Kogure, wide open outside the three-point line.
"Smart move!" someone whispered.
Yet before Kogure could shoot—
Smack!
A massive shadow leapt from behind.
Uozumi had anticipated it. He soared upward and slammed the ball away with monstrous power.
The sound echoed like thunder.
Gasps filled the gym.
But the play wasn't over.
Rukawa darted in, snatching the loose ball and going for a quick jumper—
Smack!
Blocked again!
It was Uozumi—moving with impossible speed for someone his size.
And then—when Akagi caught the deflected ball and jumped for a dunk—
Smack!
Uozumi appeared once more, swatting the shot out of bounds.
Three consecutive blocks.
The crowd was silent. Even the air seemed frozen.
In less than ten seconds, Uozumi had defended three different players—each one a crucial play.
Shohoku's players stared in disbelief.
'So this… this is Ryonan's true strength.'