Slam Dunk:Starting with perfect copy

Soon, Tanaka Shigeichi brought the Ryonan players to the venue.

Reporters immediately swarmed around him.

"What do you think of the provocation by Tohoku's player yesterday, Coach Tanaka?" one of them asked.

Tanaka replied coldly, "You'll know the answer after the game."

The stern expression on Tanaka's face sent a chill through the questioning reporter.

In the Ryonan locker room, Tanaka maintained his icy demeanor.

"I won't say anything more. Anyone who doesn't perform well today will face punishment when we get back—10 times the daily training load!"

The players were stunned.

"Ten times? That's impossible! We'd never finish it!"

"Even if we skip classes, it's still impossible!"

It was clear that Tanaka was furious about the provocation from the previous day.

"This reminds me of the last time he got angry," one player whispered, recalling a practice game against Kyoto's team.

"But this feels even worse," another added, glancing nervously at Tanaka's nearly distorted expression.

Motivated less by the desire to win and more by the fear of punishment, Ryonan's players vowed to give their all.

Meanwhile, in Tohoku's locker room, Coach Shichiro Ishida was talking to Yuta, the player who had provoked Ryonan.

"Yuta, you really shouldn't have done that yesterday," Ishida scolded.

"Coach, what's the big deal? Ryonan's not unbeatable. They were in the top four last year, and we made the top eight. We've got a shot!"

"It's not about winning or losing—it's about respect. As basketball players, we should—"

"Enough! You're being too noisy!" Yuta snapped, slamming the door as he stormed out.

Shichiro sighed, turning to the other players with a helpless expression.

The tension was palpable as Ryonan and Tohoku players walked onto the court.

Kenichi Uesugi, with his signature yellow hair, stepped into view, earning thunderous cheers from the audience. Many had never even seen him play but were drawn by the hype surrounding him.

After a brief warm-up, Ryonan unveiled their strongest starting lineup: Kenichi Uesugi, Sendoh, Uozumi, Ikegami, and Uekusa.

The game began.

Uozumi faced off against Tohoku's center, Tsukasa Inoue, for the jump ball. With a 10cm height advantage, Uozumi easily tipped the ball to Uesugi.

After scanning the court, Uesugi passed to Kenichi Uesugi.

Defending him was Keiichi Izumi, the same player who had provoked Ryonan. Fired up by yesterday's confrontation, Izumi was eager to put the rookie in his place.

As Uesugi approached, Izumi taunted him, "Hey, yellow-haired, today I'll show you what—"

Before Izumi could finish, Uesugi moved. In one fluid motion, he caught the ball, jumped, and shot.

"Too fast!" Izumi thought, stunned. He hadn't even had time to react.

The ball swished through the net.

"What were you saying?" Uesugi asked, smirking.

Izumi was speechless.

"Just play basketball and stop running your mouth like a gossiping old woman," Uesugi quipped as he jogged back.

Izumi clenched his fists. "You'll regret that, rookie!" he muttered.

Ryonan quickly took control of the game.

Tohoku's point guard, Kitajima Mine, brought the ball up the court and passed to Izumi. But as the ball neared, Uesugi intercepted it with lightning speed.

Spotting Sendoh already sprinting downcourt, Uesugi made a perfect long pass, setting him up for an easy layup.

4–0.

Tohoku tried again, but Kitajima's next pass was also intercepted by Uesugi, leading to another fast-break score.

"Wow! Kenichi Uesugi is incredible!"

"Yeah, he's living up to the hype from the magazines!"

The crowd roared as Uesugi continued to dominate, forcing Tohoku to adjust their strategy.

This time, Kitajima hesitated to pass to Izumi but, under pressure, relented. Unfortunately, Ryonan's Uekusa intercepted the ball before it reached Izumi.

Uekusa launched a counterattack, with Uesugi leading the charge. Izumi, desperate to keep up, followed closely.

When Uesugi reached the basket, he slowed down, drawing Izumi closer.

Seizing the moment, Uesugi leapt high and executed a powerful slam dunk—right over Izumi's head.

The crowd erupted as Izumi stood frozen, realizing too late that Uesugi had set him up.

"This guy did it on purpose!" Izumi thought, humiliated.

Ryonan's dominance continued, with Uesugi and his teammates dismantling Tohoku's defense play by play.

By the end of the first quarter, Ryonan had built a commanding lead, proving once again why they were one of the top teams in the tournament.

The crowd buzzed with excitement. This was just the beginning of what promised to be a thrilling game.