After Kenichi Uesugi stole the ball from Sendoh, there was a brief moment of stunned silence.
But the red team quickly snapped out of it and launched into a lightning-fast counterattack. With seamless coordination between Kenichi Uesugi and Hiroaki Koshino, they scored another two points, pushing their lead forward.
When play resumed, Sendoh once again broke through Makoto Masaru's defense and confronted Kenichi Uesugi head-on.
But this time, Sendoh had learned.
He ordered his teammates to spread the floor, giving him more space to operate and cutting off Kenichi's wide-field "Hawk Eye" advantage.
Kenichi was quick to realize the situation. Without the visual reference of the full court, his ability to read plays and predict movement was significantly hindered.
His defensive skills still had clear gaps.
In the end, Sendoh broke through and scored, reclaiming the final points of the match.
Kenichi could only sigh helplessly.
"If only I had awakened the advanced talent—Perfect Copy…"
With that, things would've been different.
He could've mimicked Akashi's Emperor Eye, the most terrifying skill in Kuroko no Basuke. With it, even a player like Sendoh wouldn't have stood a chance.
"Emperor Eye… what a dream it would be."
Although Kenichi couldn't completely shut down Sendoh on defense, his ferocious scoring power on the offensive end kept the pressure high.
Since the bitter defeat to Kainan the previous year, Sendoh hadn't faced an opponent this dangerous. Kenichi's relentless attacks were enough to make him break a sweat.
Even Sendoh had to admit it: the coach was right.
Ryonan had found an incredible player.
On the sidelines, Coach Taoka Moichi stood up slowly, eyes glistening with emotion.
After all these years, the moment had finally come.
Kenichi Uesugi had proven it on the court: he was every bit as strong as Sendoh. In fact, in terms of offensive ability, he might even be better.
Last year, it was Sendoh who had transformed the team.
This year, they had added another generational talent—Kenichi Uesugi.
It felt like the beginning of a new dynasty.
"The era of Ryonan… has finally arrived."
For a brief second, Taoka thought of Kaede Rukawa, the star player who had turned down Ryonan.
"Best newcomer? Hmph. Kenichi Uesugi is on another level."
Back on the court, the game continued.
Though Taoka no longer cared about the final score, the players—fired up by the intense duel between Sendoh and Uesugi—played their hearts out.
The red team ultimately took the win, thanks to brilliant performances from Kenichi Uesugi and Akira Uozumi.
After the game, Ryonan's veteran players gathered around, still in awe.
"This rookie's got real talent!""I thought he was crazy when he tried to shoot over Sendoh… but he really pulled it off!""He tied with Sendoh and even outscored him by two points. That's insane.""Maybe… he's even better than Sendoh!"
As Kenichi passed by, wiping sweat with a towel, he overheard their praise. With a modest smile, he replied:
"That's not true. Senior Sendoh wasn't using his full strength."
The others nodded. It was true—Sendoh had never played seriously in internal scrimmages.
But even knowing that, Kenichi's performance had shocked them all.
Then, as if on cue, Sendoh himself walked over.
Watching Kenichi's retreating figure, he said with a calm voice:
"Actually… he wasn't using his full strength either."
The entire team fell silent.
He… didn't use his full strength?
He had gone toe-to-toe with Sendoh, and still hadn't gone all out?
Just how strong was this guy?
The surprise quickly turned into excitement.
With someone like Kenichi on the team, Ryonan finally had a real shot at the national competition.
Last year, they fell short by just one step.
But now?
With Sendoh and Uesugi together, the dream of nationals didn't just seem possible—it felt inevitable.
Coach Taoka gathered the team for one last announcement.
As promised before the game, the losing blue team would be punished.
"Starting today, double training for three days."
A collective groan rippled through the group, but under Taoka's steely glare, everyone quickly quieted down.
Then came the jersey assignments for the four newcomers.
When Kenichi Uesugi received the No. 9 jersey, the other three—Masaru, Kazuki, and Hikoichi—couldn't help but feel a wave of envy.
In the world of high school basketball, jersey numbers weren't just assigned by grade—they reflected ability.
To get No. 9 as a first-year meant Coach Taoka fully recognized Kenichi's talent.
The last person to receive that honor as a freshman was Sendoh.
The rest of the jerseys were distributed:
Masaru received No. 10
Kazuki Kishino got No. 12
Aida Hikoichi, much to his disappointment, got No. 15
With that, the team was dismissed.
As everyone filtered out of the gym, Taoka Moichi remained alone in his office, staring at the updated roster in front of him.
There were only two days left before the practice match in Kyoto.
He needed to finalize the starting lineup.
Most of the positions were easy to settle.
But Kenichi Uesugi… that was a dilemma.
Initially, he had planned to use Kenichi as a power forward, replacing Ikegami or Fukuda.
But after today's match, Taoka was reconsidering.
"It's a waste to put him inside."
Kenichi was best as a small forward—a scoring wing who could both slash and shoot. And Sendoh, while primarily a forward, could also transition seamlessly into the shooting guard position—or even act as a point guard when needed.
They both played similar positions, but that only opened up more tactical possibilities.
Just imagining the two of them forming an outside offensive tandem was enough to make Taoka's heart race.
"What team in the country could stop that?"
He could already see it—Sendoh and Kenichi, side by side, leading Ryonan to the national competition.
No—
Leading them to win the national championship.
And so, after careful thought and vivid daydreams of glory,
Coach Taoka Moichi made his decision.