His true ability

"Fweeert!!!" referee whistled.

"Kainan! Time out!!" game announcer said.

"Nice job, Sakuragi!!" Yasuda said.

"During practice, you didn't even do well before, Sakuragi!!" Kogure said.

"Hahaha!!! Glasses-brother, just call me the best player today!!!" he replied.

"Damn it!! I'm so pissed because of that red monkey!! Ahh... he actually scored on my head!!" Kiyota walked back to their bench.

"Shoyo's defeat doesn't seem like a fluke anymore, eh? What do you think Maki?" Coach Riki Takato asked.

Maki sat in the bench, got his drink and wiped the sweat all over his body.

"Those five do have some abilities... Especially under the hoop and their precise three points..." Maki replied.

"Very good assessment... We have to neutralize Sakuragi and let Mitsui play hard on the defensive end! Yoshinori!" Coach Riki Takato said

"Here, Coach!" Yoshinori Miyamasu replied. He may be small, wears eye glass and looked weak in appearance, but he's a precise shooter beyond the arc and next only to Jin. Miyamasu is a senior, w/ no game experience but he's one of the secret offensive arsenals of Kainan and Coach Takato.

"You go in for Jin, your task is to mark Sakuragi and Kiyota will be playing off ball against Mitsui!!" Coach Takato.

Kainan basketball practices are very tough for a normal individual. Every spring, many junior high players try their luck to join the prestigious team. More than half of them quit w/in a week and after a month, only one fourth remained in the team.

In the end, only twenty percent new member remained after a year in the team. When Yoshinori Miyamasu joined, he didn't know how to play basketball at all. Yet he still able to managed to remain and that's why the other Kainan players respect him greatly.

"Yoshinori-senpai! Do your best!!"

"We'll wait for your threes, Yoshinori-senpai!!"

"Try at least one three pointer, Yoshinori-senpai!!" his fellow bench players said.

"Don't worry senpai, there's nothing special about that guy!!" Kiyota said.

"Yoshinori! Show them what you've been working hard for these past three years!!" Maki said.

"Hmn! Maki! I have to try my best and use all my energy on this game" Yoshinori said.

"Ok! Go everyone!!" Coach Takato said.

"Yah!!!" Kainan players replied.

"You're in good condition today! Go Hanamichi!!" Sakuragi's gang were cheering their best for him and the team.

"Yeah! Make Kainan give you the championship tittle! Go Shohohku!!" Haruko shouted.

"Don't worry Haruko! They have to pass this genius first!!" Sakuragi said.

"Huh?" was the reaction of Shohoku players and bench in this new sub player.

"Ohh? Who the heck is that weird short guy?" Sakuragi said.

"Is that guy really good that they took Jin out for him..?" Kogure said.

"Hohoho... let's observe them first, Kogure-kun" Coach Anzai said.

"Okay, Coach!" Kogure said.

"Wuu...!" Yoshinori ball was stole by Miyagi but before he could fastbreak, Maki was already there to defend him and he waited for his teammates to organize the offense.

"Ah..!! Yoshinori-sepai, Don't be too nervous!!" Kiyota said.

"What's goin on here? He doesn't seem good at all and his movements are too slow..! Damn it! Maki's defense is really fast!" Miyagi said.

"It's ok! Back to defense, everyone!" Coach Takato shouted at them.

"No. ten is mine, ok!"Yoshinori said.

"Huh? What the heck?! Is this a joke?" Sakuragi said.

"What? That short guy wants to guard a giant like Hanamichi?!" Sakuragi's gang said.

"Huh!! Coach Takato?" Akagi looked towards Kainan's bench and saw the smiling old man while waving his fan.

"I see... really clever old man..!" Rukawa said.

"Is this box one against Shohoku's no. ten?" Yayoi Aida said.

"Jin looks fine, wasn't he alright? Why did they put a short player against him..? "reporter Nakamura said.

"Damn it! They sent a pawn to guard a genius like?! Even Shoyo's four eyes and Ryonan's Kingkong is scared of the rebound king Sakuragi!!" he said.

"If you think you can get a point against me, then try if you can!!" Yoshinori said.

"Keep it up!! You said it, Yoshinori-senpai!!" Kiyota said.

"I'm going to do it anyway! So take this, Shorty!!" Sakuragi got the ball since he has the mismatch.

"Tease Sakuragi whenever you can, but don't do anything on defense, Yoshinori" Coach Takato's task for him and he only raise his two arms against Sakuragi.

"What? Why aren't you jumping up?!" Sakuragi said.

"Huh?" Sakuragi miss an easy and open lay-up.

"He missed so badly?!" Yayoi Aida said.

"Even he's not that heavily guarded?" reporter Nakamura said.

"Shohoku 31 vs. 25 Kainan, the champs scored off the fast break still trailing by six points w/ eight minutes left in the first half." game announcer said.

"Okay! This time I'm going to score!!"Sakuragi said, but he still failed to score and felt frustrated this time.

"I kind of understand now..." Yohei Mito said.

"You understand what?" Noma asked.

"Damn it... Why didn't you try to guard me at all?!" Sakuragi said.

"I did so!" Yoshinori replied.

"Hanamichi's really competitive to someone stronger than him like Hanagata and Uozumi. So he used his strength to defeat them..." Yohei Mito said.

"It was the same when he first challenged my brother..." Haruko said.

"If the opponent isn't strong or competitive enough, then he can't perform his best at all..!" Yohei Mito said.

"What's goin here!! He freaking missed again!!" Kogure said.

"He found Sakuragi's weakness so quickly..? Coach Takato is scary opponent..." Akagi said.

"Damn it! What's wrong w/ me?!" Sakuragi said.

"He's starting to show his true ability..." Coach Takato said.

"Shohoku 31 vs. 28 Kainan, the champs scored three off the fast break, still trailing by three points w/ eight minutes left in the first half." game announcer said.