Slam Dunk Youth Asian Championship 4

(23) Blocking Li Zelong

Blocking Li Zelong

Seeing the score being overtaken, the Japanese team coach begged for a timeout.

Sakuragi thought: "No wonder he's the dragon head, he alone defeated all five of us!!"

(Ryota Fujima: Drenched in sweat.)

From Sendoh's face, an expression of fear could also be seen. The Japanese team's coach saw through everyone's psychology, "It seems that the dragon head is challenging us. From the situation of the other members of the Chinese team, it's very clear that they are letting Li deal with it alone. Rather than this..."

"I know this is the strongest opponent you've ever faced, I admit it's also one I've never encountered before. I ask all of you to treat this match against the Chinese team as the final! Give it your last ounce of strength!!"

"Everyone remember, when defending, all of you must focus on guarding the dragon head!"

Sendoh: "Then what about the others..."

Sakuragi: "How could that be?"

Coach: "Don't worry about the others, just guard the dragon head and that will be enough! Let's go everyone!"

The game resumed, China had possession. Liu Su passed the ball to Yu Xing.

Yu Xing: "What?" Just then, all the Japanese players were defending Li alone!

Sendoh seemed to understand the coach's intention, "Sakuragi! With your stamina, stick close to him. Ryota, once the ball is intercepted, rely on you for the counterattack!"

Sakuragi thought: "I promise to Shizuka, I won't let you get the ball!"

As Yu Xing was about to shoot, he heard Li shout loudly: "Yu Xing!!!! Pass me the ball!" At this moment, Li broke through half-court under the encirclement of five Japanese players, leaping high into the air like lightning. Yu Xing understood and quickly passed the ball, so fast that others didn't even have time to react. As Li was about to catch the ball, it was intercepted mid-air by a large hand - Sakuragi!! At the same moment Li jumped, Sakuragi who clung to Li like glue also leapt high into the air before anyone else reacted.

Sendoh: "Ryota Fujima!!" Ryota Fujima swiftly ran forward. Just as everyone thought the Japanese team had intercepted the ball and was preparing to counterattack, another pair of hands simultaneously grabbed the ball mid-air.

The ball was snatched back from Sakuragi's hands mid-air!

Liu Su: "This is the boss's hang time!"

Sakuragi: "Damn, he can stay in the air for so long!"

As Sakuragi landed and prepared to intercept the ball again, Li Zelong actually shot the ball mid-air. Sakuragi's hand hit Li's shooting arm, creating a comic scene!

Swish! The ball went in!!! The referee's whistle blew, Sakuragi committed a foul on the arm, one free throw awarded!

All of this happened within a second, while the other four Japanese defenders had no reaction at all!

With this super long-range three-pointer, Li sent the Japanese team into the abyss.

(24) Burning Legion

Even though Sakuragi finally scored 2 points for the Japanese team, the Japanese team was already at a comprehensive disadvantage.

Liu Su, Yu Xing, and Li Zelong had almost dismantled the Japanese defense.

Mokuseki stared down Yu Xing's relentless attacks. Despite giving his all, Yu Xing changed his usual mid-range shots and frequently attacked inside. Mokuseki's stamina reached its limit.

Facing Li Zelong, who had been on the court for not too long but still had full energy, both Sakuragi and Sendoh gave their all, making it basically impossible to switch to zone defense on others.

Sakuragi: "Not only can I not hear any sound, my vision is getting blurry. Is it because I pushed myself too hard?"

Mokuseki: "Ah!!" Mokuseki was knocked down again by Yu Xing.

The referee ruled a blocking foul on Mokuseki.

Yu Xing took the free throws. Yu Xing: "He already has four fouls, should he keep going?"

Another two points.

Kikuchi: "Mokuseki.. stop playing, don't stay on the court anymore.. you've reached your limit... Can you hear me, Mokuseki?"

...

Mokuseki: "Huff huff (thoughts) Mom, Kikuchi, maybe I really have reached my limit. Breathing has become so difficult, but I can't leave the court. Perhaps I'll never encounter such a strong opponent again in my life. I must dedicate my last bit of strength to the Japanese team! The rest is up to you, Sakuragi and Morishige..."

"Mokuseki..."

Mokuseki looked at the sidelines and finally saw Kikuchi and his family. "I hope mom understands, today I will die on the court if I have to!"

Again, Sakuragi got the rebound. Every attack by the Japanese team now was so arduous, yet everyone could feel the volcanic eruption-like fighting spirit between the two teams.

"Sakuragi, pass the ball out!"

Sakuragi: "What? What are you saying!" Suddenly, Sakuragi saw Ryota's figure. Ryota suddenly ran to Sakuragi's side. Ryota glanced at Sakuragi with his eyes.

Sakuragi (thinking): "Ryota... okay."

Lin Cheng: "Is he passing the ball?"

Lin Cheng saw Sakuragi turn around.

Sakuragi turned towards Ryota's direction, swish~~~~

Sakuragi didn't pass to Ryota, One Piece 292, but instead attempted a fadeaway jump shot!!!

"!!" In the instant Yu Xing shifted his attention to Ryota, Sakuragi executed a side-backward fadeaway jump shot right in front of Yu Xing.

Ryota: "...it has to go in!"

Sakuragi: "Go in... go in."

"Bang!" The ball bounced off the rim.

"Not over yet!" Mokuseki jumped and grabbed the rebound.

"Mokuseki!!!"

The entire audience held their breath, Conan Version of Love and Sword complete story version, Mokuseki was about to dunk.

Just as Mokuseki grabbed the rebound and was about to dunk, Li Zelong appeared behind Mokuseki and forcefully blocked his dunk.

"Bang!!" Mokuseki fell to the floor.

But the ball was still in the air, and Li Zelong was too far away to grab it.

Both Sakuragi and Sendoh ran towards where the ball would land, and Yu Xing was also trying to get there.

But someone was faster than them! Ryota broke away from Lin Cheng, and Liu Su also escaped from Seita.

Ryota and Liu Su reached the ball at the same time and jumped together!

"My god. Ryota and Liu Su collided together!!!"

"Ah!!" Liu Su shouted. "The ball is mine!"

Liu Su grabbed the ball, quickly dribbled past Seita who tried to stop him later. Facing an empty Japanese backcourt, he scored with a layup.

As the ball fell through the hoop, a stream of blood also flowed down from Liu Su and Ryota's heads.

"Liu Su!"

"Ryota!"

Liu Su and Ryota stood facing each other without paying attention to the others' voices or the blood flowing down their faces.

Liu Su's face bore the look of a warrior, and Ryota became even colder.

"Good job, Liu Su, this is the winning desire a player should have!"

"Ryota! Are you alright?"

Ryota: "...I lost to him..."

The doctor immediately bandaged Ryota, while Liu Su...

Liu Su tied his bloody headband onto the wound, "A bloody headband is the best bandage, it gives me more fighting spirit! Come on, coach, trust me. I'm fine! Let me keep fighting!"

Li Zelong: "Coach, such players are the ones we need. I hope you'll allow Liu Su to continue playing!"

Coach Meng: "...Alright! Even I am impressed by your spirit!"

...

Except for Ryota who was being treated for his injury, Mokuseki had reached his limit and was carried off by the staff.

Mokuseki: "Everyone, I'm sorry I can't play alongside you anymore. I have no regrets."

Sendoh: "You've given your all, Mokuseki. We will still give our all, the rest is up to us."

Mokuseki (thinking): "Mom, I've done my best..." Lying on the stretcher, tears streamed down Mokuseki's face.

"Mokuseki..." Kikuchi and Mokuseki's mother couldn't help but shed tears as they watched Mokuseki being carried off on a stretcher.

Mokuseki Number 4, Height 199cm, Age 16, Scored 4 points in this game.

As the only 16-year-old player in the entire game, Mokuseki did everything he possibly could. At 16, he still has a long way to go.

...

Sakuragi (thinking): "Ryota, Mokuseki... Why do they seem like an unscalable barrier? This is the true strength of the Chinese team, huh. Hmm! Even I, the genius, feel powerless."

Even though Ryota claimed he was fine and wanted to stay on the court, North River considered Ryota's physical condition and refused his request to remain on the court.

North River: "Zebura, you're the last card I have left."

Zebura: "...I will unleash all the energy I've accumulated in these few minutes!"

Ryota leaned against the chair, a towel covering his head.

Proud as he was, he continuously tasted failure today.

Several times easily broken through by Li Zelong, and finally losing the crucial ball to Liu Su, all of this made the once confident Ryota Fujima start doubting himself.

The game continued, Morishige and Zebura respectively replaced Mokuseki who was exhausted and Ryota who was injured.

Time was almost up, although Zebura also successfully bypassed Liu Su and Yu Xing who were greatly fatigued, Li ultimately became the last line of defense the Japanese team found hardest to deal with.

There was less than 30 seconds left, and the scoreboard showed 76:96.

Sakuragi defended Yu Xing's drive, but Yu Xing passed the ball to Li Zelong.

Sendoh: "Even if we lose, we absolutely cannot let you reach 100 points."

Li Zelong: "Avoided" Li unexpectedly passed the ball back to Yu Xing.

Yu Xing had retreated near the three-point line.

Sakuragi: "The first ball, that's how he made it. Do you really want to score a three-pointer to reach 100 points?"

Yu Xing indeed attempted a three-pointer. Sakuragi jumped at the same time, Sakuragi touched the ball, causing it to miss.

Seita grabbed the rebound and quickly drove forward. Time was running out.

Yu Xing: "Still trying? The result has already been decided.

Fine, then let's seriously finish these last few seconds with you!"

The Japanese team still had no opportunity, as Li Zelong intercepted Zebura's ball, "Come on! Let's deliver the final blow!"

Since time was almost up, all the Chinese players rushed towards the Japanese half.

Li Zelong began driving, breaking past Zebura and Morishige. Sendoh was already blocking Li's path.

Li Zelong: "Hmm, the final showdown."

Sendoh (thinking): "The last time..."

"Great pass!!!" In the final moments, Sendoh actually intercepted the ball from the Dragon Head. But time, there was no time left. And Li immediately chased after the ball to try and regain it.

Sendoh (thinking): "Lost... No chance left. Eh? Sakuragi!"

"Sakuragi!!!"

Sendoh threw the ball from halfway across the court towards Sakuragi who was standing at the free-throw line on the Chinese side, having not had time to retreat yet.

"The ball.. is it the last one?"

Danger, as everyone stood rooted to the spot, Liu Su was rushing towards the ball at incredible speed.

Liu Su: "If he stops to catch the ball, there won't be any time to adjust, it can definitely be disrupted!"

Sakuragi ran towards the incoming ball. But Liu Su also arrived.

Liu Su: "Alright, this is it."

"What!!!"

The entire stadium was shocked, Sakuragi didn't stop but jumped directly towards the ball in mid-air, attempting a direct dunk without adjustment?!

And Liu Su who hesitated for a moment also jumped up at the same time!

Sakuragi: "Go... in!!!"

Liu Su: "Yaah!!"

(25) Grand Finale - Hanamichi Sakuragi (Part 1)

"Boom Boom"

"Is... the sound of basketball?"

Whistle~~~

"I finally hear sounds, what just happened? Why are there only whistles and the sound of the ball hitting the ground?"

"Game over, goal invalid!"

The silent court finally erupted with sighs.

"Yaah!!" Liu Su ran towards the Chinese players on the other half of the court.

"Sakuragi?"

"Sakuragi!"

Sakuragi: "What's going on?" Looking up at the glaring 76:96 on the scoreboard. "Lost? Did we lose?"

Sendoh: "Sakuragi! That last shot was impressive..."

Before Sendoh could finish, Hanamichi Sakuragi suddenly grabbed Sendoh's shirt and shouted, "I don't want to hear it! I just want to know why?! Why, despite my utmost effort, despite playing with all my might, do we still lose by so much?! Why?!"

Sakuragi's voice moved all the players on the court and in the stands.

The heavy defeat finally caused the Japanese players to collapse. On the sidelines, Tsuchiya, Fukuda, Shin, Banno, and Otake could no longer hold back their tears, which soaked their eyes. Shin blankly stared at the scoreboard, tightly gripping his injured right hand, while Otake, despite trying to hide it, still had tears streaming down his face.

Only Ryota, covered his head with a towel, remained silent.

On the court, after Sakuragi's loud outburst, he let his helpless tears flow freely. Opposite him, Sendoh was also lost in confusion and speechlessness. Morishige patted the crying Seita, whose own eyes were becoming moist.

Besides Sendoh and Ryota, there was Zebura, the ace of the Japanese team, who merely wiped the sweat from his face.

Sendoh: "Alright, everyone, perk up and prepare to greet our opponents!"

Yu Xing: "The Japanese team did quite well. It's unfortunate... that as an opponent, I regret their number 10's last shot being declared invalid."

Li Zelong: "Be cautious, we now have not only South Korea to worry about. Japan's performance has been excellent. Among their team, three players' skills are nearly on par with our Eight Dragons."

Chinese Team Players: "..."

Liu Su (thinking): "Although we won, that guy's dunk in mid-air was almost... stunning! Such a perfect move, I didn't want to disrupt it. Hmph, I guess I was wrong, with that ball, I probably would have been powerless anyway."

...

Subsequently, the two teams lined up to greet each other, and the entire stadium suddenly burst into enthusiastic applause.

Sendoh: "Thank you for the lesson!"

Yu Xing: "Thank you for the lesson!"

Sendoh: "Yu Xing, we'll meet again in the university league!"

Yu Xing: "Next year's university league, I will participate in all the games. I won't let the championship slip from my hands."

Sendoh: "We'll see on the court! Also, please convey to Li that I will strive to catch up with him in the coming years!"

Yu Xing: "..."

Li Zelong: "Yu Xing, tell Japan's number 7 that I'll be waiting for our next match,

and the match against Japan's top player!"

Akagi: "Unfortunately, we lost, but Sakuragi and the others gave their all."

Boku: "Yes, giving one's all to lose might be a way to let go, or perhaps the most helpless method."

Choi Cheol-Sun: "Our opponent in three days will be China. Hmph, Choi Cheol-Myeong, do you truly think if Japan had entered the finals, we could win them as easily as you said?"

Choi Cheol-Myeong:

...

Japanese Team Locker Room.

Kitagawa: "Very well done!! Although we lost, this exactly proves the gap between us and Asia's strongest. For our future progress, this defeat holds significant meaning. Tomorrow, we still have the match for third place. Stay spirited, boys. Let's come back stronger!"

"Yes! We'll come back stronger next time!!" Accompanied by tears and an unwavering determination for success, all members of the Japanese team voiced their declaration.

Sakuragi: "Sendoh, why aren't you leaving yet? Everyone has gone."

"Oh? Sakuragi? You go ahead, I'm a bit tired and want to rest here for a while."

Sakuragi (thinking): "Sendoh..."

...

"..."

"Fujiwara..."

"Gomenasai."

"Eh?"

Ryota Fujiwara looked at her in front of him, "I didn't fulfill my promise, gomenasai for not bringing this victory to you.." Before Ryota could finish this sentence, tears suddenly welled up and flowed out. In this moment, Ryota finally broke down too.

"Fujiwara!!!"

Tightly embracing Ryota.

...

Sendoh turned off all the lights in the locker room. Quietly sitting on the chair, placing the towel on his head.

"Lost... really lost..."

The always resilient captain of the Japanese team, in the dark and empty locker room, had no more pretense.

At this moment, Sakuragi hadn't walked far because he had already seen Akane walking towards him with tear-streaked cheeks.

Akane: "Sakuragi-kun..." Welcome to Firefly Forum

Next chapter---(25)-----Hanamichi Sakuragi (Part 2)

Three days later in Saitama, Japan

In the Asian Youth Championship final, the defending champions played against South Korea. All four dragons of the Chinese team played in the first half. Due to a large lead in the first half, An Yong and Li Zelong were substituted out in the second half. Although South Korea tried hard to narrow the gap in the second half, they eventually lost the final by a 10-point margin.

China's Liu Su won the MVP award, defeating his teammate Yu Xing and Japan's Sendoh and South Korea's Choi Cheol-Myeong to become the best player of this tournament.

The Best Five were ---- Guard: Liu Su (China), Sendoh Akira (Japan