Slam Dunk: My physical abilities can be increased indefinitely.

Chapter 19 Maki no Shin 1's "Welcome"

The training hall in Hainan is much larger than the one in Lingnan, and even the floor is brighter.

When Sendoh stood at the door and looked inside, he could feel the reflection. On the wall hung banners of the champions of the Hainan International Championships over the years, row upon row from left to right, arranged by year without interruption.

This is the essence and domineering presence of Hainan, the "King of the Seas." Anyone who comes in and sees this will understand why Hainan is called the "King of the Seas."

"Sendoh? You're here so early, that's not like you."

Sendoh turned his head, and Maki Shinichi was standing at the other end of the corridor, wearing a training T-shirt from Hainan, holding a sports drink in his right hand. He looked a head shorter than Sendoh, but his shoulders were broader and his neck was thicker. He didn't look like a basketball player, but more like a judo practitioner.

"It's alright, not too early."

"We agreed on ten o'clock, but you arrived twenty minutes early," Maki Shinichi said as he walked over and opened the door to the training hall. "Come in and wait; it's unbearably hot outside."

"You asked me to discuss the defensive strategies of Hainan and Ryonan. I thought you would bring a notebook or a voice recorder or something."

Sendoh didn't explain. He took the videotape out of his pocket and placed it on the table. It was the videotape from last year's match between Ryonan and Hainan, which he had borrowed from Tian Gang. There was a label on the box that read "Hainan Station. Overtime," written in Tian Gang's handwriting. The handwriting was very messy, and the last character was almost flying off.

It's clear that Tian Gang was very unsettled when he wrote it.

Maki Shinichi picked it up, glanced at it, didn't open it or say anything, and just smiled.

What do you want to talk about?

"In last year's game, with 30 seconds left in overtime, you dribbled from the backcourt to the frontcourt, got past Uozumi, and made that shot over Fukuda. Was that a pre-planned shot or a last-minute reaction? I know that position isn't your usual shooting position."

Shinichi Maki looked at Sendoh, but didn't reply immediately. He just looked at him with his eyes to confirm his identity, and then asked a question.

How many times did you watch that game?

"Seventeen times, not including those organized by the coach."

"How many times did you realize that the ball wasn't part of a tactical play?"

"The eleventh time"

"What were you looking at the first ten times?"

"We're studying you, observing your playing habits."

Shinichi Maki leaned back in his chair, making a slight creaking sound, then grabbed a towel and draped it around his neck, moving very slowly, as if he were thinking about something.

"You've been studying me ever since you lost last year?"

"Yes, it will start that very night."

There was probably a silence of five or six seconds.

"I've always thought you have great talent, even more than me. It's a pity you're too lazy," Mu Shenyi said. "In our game in the first year of high school, if you hadn't run out of stamina with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, if you had trained more and built up more stamina, the result might have been different."

Sendoh remained silent because what Maki Shinichi said was true. Laziness was his nature, and basketball was just a hobby. After all, limited by the physical attributes of his race, what difference would training make? He would never be able to reach the top leagues or enter the holy land of basketball across the ocean.

Shinichi Maki got up from his chair and walked onto the court. He casually picked up a basketball, dribbled it twice outside the three-point line, and then suddenly accelerated without any warning. Instead of a straight drive, he took two steps to the right and stopped abruptly, switched hands behind his back, stopped again, and switched hands between his legs.

He dribbled three times in a row, each change of direction with a different rhythm, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, his body coordination was incredibly good. On the last dribble, he gathered the ball up, stood at the free throw line and made a shooting motion, his wrist pressed very lightly.

However, instead of shooting, he held the ball to his waist, turned around, and looked back at Sendoh.

"You didn't just come here today to ask about that ball, did you?"

"Hmm, I'd like to see your training."

"Haha, you think you can defend against me just by watching my training?"

"Not necessarily, but you definitely can't prevent it if you don't look."

Maki nodded, tossed the ball to Sendoh, walked to the defensive position, slowly bent down, spread his arms, lowered his center of gravity, and at the same time, his eyes changed from calm to sharp and more aggressive.

"Come on, let's have a go."

Without any wasted words, Sendoh dribbled to the top of the arc. Maki Shinichi's defensive pressure was the greatest he had ever felt. It wasn't a matter of speed, but rather anticipation and physical aggression. Sendoh took a step forward, and Maki Shinichi was already positioned on the right, switching his hand behind his back to the left. He was already waiting on the left.

The feeling was similar to knowing your thoughts and movements in advance, while relying on your strong body to constantly seek confrontation and force your opponent to make mistakes.

Sendoh stopped the ball and was forced to the three-point line. He could still shoot, but it wouldn't make much sense. He just wanted to feel the defensive pressure from Maki Shinichi again in the one-on-one, not necessarily to score.

Mu Shen stood up, put away his defensive stance, and relaxed his expression, returning to his previous calm demeanor.

"Your first step is very fast, much faster than last year, even beyond my expectations," Mu Shen paused for a moment, "but you are fast in a straight line. The second burst after the change of direction is obviously not fast enough. As long as I move in advance at the moment you change direction, you can't exert your speed."

Sendoh went over that sentence in his mind. Maki Shinichi was right. The advantage of speed A is the initial straight-line start, but the subsequent change of direction and acceleration is still insufficient. That's a problem with lateral movement ability, which cannot be solved simply by relying on speed attribute.

Why are you telling me this?

"It's simple. You'll definitely do targeted training when you get back, making it harder for me to defend against you next time we face off."

"?, just to make it harder for myself to let go."

"Yes, it's too easy, it's boring."

Shinichi Maki grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his face, then picked up a sports drink from the ground and took a sip.

"If we meet in the county competition, I won't let you pass. Victory still belongs to Hainan, because we are the kings."

When he said this, Maki Shinichi's eyes were firm and bright, full of confidence and composure.

"Hehe, just wait and see. I won't lose again, not even in Hainan."

Maki Shinichi glanced at Sendoh for two seconds, his lips twitched slightly, then his entire expression relaxed. He extended his hand and said, "Alright, see you in the match then."

"See you at the match." Their hands clasped together, and you could feel that Maki Shinichi's palms were thick and strong. He let go cleanly and decisively.

When he walked out of the training hall, the sun was already very strong. Sendoh glanced at his phone. It was 10:47. There was a message from Off-Road asking how his meeting with Maki Shinichi went.

"He's gotten even stronger, even more so than last year."

"That's obvious, he's the best in Kanagawa."

"Haha, yes, but I'm stronger than he thinks."

"??? What's going on? Did you two go and exchange harsh words?"

"Meeting them, and also testing the waters."

"You had a bullfight? How did it go? Who won?"

"Say something, I'm so anxious!"

Sendoh didn't reply to the message. He put his phone back in his pocket, got on his bicycle, and felt a slight chill in the wind. Maki Shinichi's words kept echoing in his mind: "Insufficient explosive power requires the coordination of lower limb strength and core strength. That's a matter of strength attribute. It seems it's time to upgrade my Strength B stat on the panel."