In the audience,
A large number of spectators were in utter disbelief after Kenichi Uesugi's alley-oop three-pointer!
"Oh my God! What did we just witness? An alley-oop three-pointer?"
"I never thought I'd see the day when someone pulled off a shot like that! It's an unbelievable shooting method!"
"His versatility is off the charts! He's scoring in ways we've never seen before!"
"Ryonan has overtaken them now, and I can't help but feel that Sannoh might be finished! This is unreal!"
"I can't believe this is how Sannoh's reign is coming to an end. After four consecutive championships, they're about to lose it all!"
In the front row of the audience,
Kainan's fans erupted in cheer, seeing their rivals Ryonan edge ahead.
"This is incredible! Ryonan has taken the lead! It's really happening, the Kanagawa championship is in sight!"
"I never thought I'd live to see this day! Ryonan actually has a shot at the national title!"
Amu and Riki Takato exchanged glances, their faces lighting up with pride.
"Who would've thought?" Riki murmured. "Sannoh's dynasty is crumbling right in front of our eyes."
The Kainan crowd, once filled with nervous anticipation, was now swarming with jubilation. With Sannoh seemingly out of options, Ryonan's victory felt inevitable.
Back on the court,
Matsumoto Minoru and the other Sannoh players were visibly shaken. Their heads hung low, some were even wiping away tears. The weight of the loss was setting in.
Not only had they been caught off-guard by Ryonan's remarkable comeback, but they had no way of stopping it now. It seemed almost impossible that the dominant team that had crushed every opponent for years could be so outmatched.
Domoto Ichiro stood quietly on the sidelines, staring out in disbelief. It was clear that even he, the experienced coach, was struggling to process what was happening.
"I've given them all I have," Domoto thought bitterly. "But it still isn't enough."
On the opposite side, Ryonan's players were fired up. They had just taken the lead, and every single one of them knew that victory was within reach. With their spirits lifted, they rallied around one another, pushing forward with confidence.
However, there was something far more dangerous lurking for Ryonan.
In the midst of the Sannoh despair, there was one player who wasn't giving up. Sawakita Eiji, who had remained eerily quiet until now, suddenly cracked a grin that sent a chill through his teammates.
"Is he really smiling right now?" one of his teammates asked in disbelief. "It's over. Why is he acting like this?"
Kenichi Uesugi's eyes flicked over to Sawakita, and for the first time, he felt an unsettling sensation in his chest. There was something in Sawakita's eyes—a glint of something darker, something more intense. It was as if the game had shifted.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Kenichi muttered to himself. "What's he planning?"
The game resumed.
Fukatsu Kazunari brought the ball up the court for Sannoh, and immediately, Sawakita's eyes locked onto him, signaling that he was ready for the ball.
Fukatsu hesitated at first. Passing to Sawakita in this situation seemed almost like a desperate move. Sawakita was currently facing Kenichi Uesugi, who had been a near-impenetrable wall for everyone so far. But Sawakita's eyes were filled with an intensity that made Fukatsu trust him.
Reluctantly, Fukatsu made the pass.
Kenichi's heart skipped a beat as he saw Sawakita's focused stare. Something was wrong. Sawakita was not just playing at a high level—he was operating at another level entirely. Kenichi recognized it immediately: Sawakita had entered the Zone.
The Zone.
Kenichi Uesugi, who had perfected his own skills through tireless effort, understood what it meant to enter the Zone. But Sawakita's transformation seemed more drastic, more immediate. Kenichi had been battling against his own limits, and now he was going up against a player who had surpassed his own.
"I can't let him have it so easy," Kenichi thought. He was running out of time, but he refused to allow Sawakita to take over.
As the game continued, Kenichi tried to match Sawakita's every move, but the Zone was unlike anything he had faced. Sawakita moved with the fluidity of water, almost untouchable. His movements were so fast that Kenichi barely had time to react.
Sawakita broke through Kenichi's defense like it was nothing. He slid past him on the right side, a quick step and then a sharp turn. The crowd gasped as Sawakita made his way toward Ryonan's basket.
Kenichi was too late.
Sawakita soared through the air with a grace that only a player in the Zone could possess, avoiding the defensive effort by Yuzumi and slamming the ball into the hoop with a resounding dunk. The crowd went wild.
The scoreboard read: 63:63.
"Did you see that? How did Sawakita suddenly get so fast?" one spectator whispered in awe.
"It's like he was a completely different player! He just blew past Kenichi Uesugi!"
In the stands, Kainan's group, including Chiba Kazu and Tsuchiya Jun, stood in stunned silence. "Is this a miracle?" they asked.
Sawakita's father, Sawakita Tetsuji, stood up from his seat, practically shaking with excitement.
"Eiji has entered the Zone! This is it! The most powerful player in the country!"
"He's unstoppable now! I'm telling you, Ryonan doesn't stand a chance!" Sawakita Tetsuji shouted joyfully.
The crowd echoed his words, their voices full of awe and disbelief. For the first time in decades, someone had truly entered the Zone, and it was Sawakita Eiji, the young prodigy of Sannoh.
The game became a battle of willpower.
Ryonan, once so confident, now struggled to keep up. Sawakita's every move seemed to outclass everything they had done. The speed, the precision—he was no longer just a player; he was a force of nature.
Kenichi Uesugi tried to match him, but even his Perfect Copy seemed ineffective against the sheer power of Sawakita's Zone. Every move Kenichi made was anticipated. Every attempt to block or shoot was thwarted.
"Is there no way to stop him?" Kenichi thought, frustration building
Ryonan's players fell into despair. What had once been a tight match was now slipping away. They had no answers, and their chances of winning grew smaller with every second.
Sawakita, now fully in the Zone, dashed past his opponents with ease, making highlight-worthy moves and dazzling the audience with his near-impossible shots.
Within minutes, Sannoh extended their lead. A quick dunk here, a three-pointer there, and the score was soon 63:75. The arena buzzed with excitement, but the Ryonan players felt like they were sinking.
"This is too much. Sawakita's a monster now," one of Ryonan's players muttered, his voice tinged with defeat.
"It's over. We had our shot, but now there's no chance," another agreed, his voice hollow.
Kenichi, seeing the gap widen, clenched his fists, still not ready to give up.
"This isn't over," he muttered under his breath. "Not yet."
Just as the game seemed to be slipping entirely into Sannoh's grasp, Kenichi Uesugi's eyes suddenly flickered with determination. There was something in his gaze—something fierce, something that suggested the battle was far from over.
Kenichi's spirit flared once more as he faced the Zone's might.
"Don't struggle anymore," Sawakita taunted, his voice cold but confident. "You were good. You were strong, but this is my time now."
Kenichi, however, locked eyes with Sawakita, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"I told you," Kenichi responded firmly, "even if you enter the Zone, I'll still bring it."
And with that, a new chapter in the game began. The battle between the Zone and determination was only heating up, and the outcome was far from certain.
The crowd was on the edge of their seats, and the game, now more than ever, was anyone's to win.