Chapter Eighty-Four: The Bad Boy's Threat
The day before the IH regional qualifying tournament, Touou Academy gymnasium.
Like Ryonan, Touou as Tokyo's champion team received a first-round bye.
Combined with home-court advantage, even the day before the tournament, they showed no difference from usual. Team members arrived early at the basketball club to begin training.
"Sorry, I was just discussing match details with Coach." Touou basketball team captain Imayoshi Shoichi arrived about 20 minutes after training started. "I'll warm up and join practice immediately."
"Huh, where's Aomine?" While stretching, Imayoshi Shoichi looked toward the court, not seeing that familiar figure.
"Hmph, lately he's been participating in training, but when has he ever arrived on time?" Center Wakamatsu Kosuke said with displeasure.
"Ugh... honestly." Imayoshi Shoichi sighed. "Can't be helped with him. Sakurai?"
"Ah, ah? Yes!" First-year Sakurai Ryo, who'd been practicing shooting, flinched. "I'm sorry, I did call to remind him, but he ignored me."
"I see. No need to apologize—I'm not blaming you."
"I'm truly sorry! Please spare me!"
"Spare you?"
"Sorry! Sorry! I know I'm just an ant!"
"...Could you not get increasingly exaggerated? Besides, it's getting annoying."
"Sorry! Sorry! Being this annoying is truly sorry!"
"You're really troublesome. I said stop constantly apologizing!"
"...Sniff." Sakurai Ryo hung his head, not daring to speak.
"Ah, Captain's bullying a first-year again." Aomine Daiki's lazy voice came from the doorway.
"This is all your fault, isn't it?!" Wakamatsu Kosuke yelled at him.
"Stop talking nonsense. If we're practicing, hurry up and start." Aomine Daiki casually picked up a ball and began dribbling on his own.
"Today's Aomine seems slightly more motivated?" Imayoshi Shoichi said with some puzzlement. Though only a little, he seemed somewhat excited.
"Yeah, after all, he's grouped with Kise." Momoi Satsuki, who'd arrived with Aomine Daiki, said happily. "For Dai-chan, this is a rare opponent to face."
"He's really looking forward to this qualifying tournament!"
Match day, Tokyo Gymnasium.
Morning sunlight, carrying the metropolis's characteristic clamor, fell upon the massive gymnasium building. The air filled with tension and heated atmosphere unique to major tournaments.
Teams from various regions and massive crowds of spectators began converging toward various entrances.
Ryonan High School's tour bus arrived smoothly. The door opened. Coach Taoka, wearing a neat suit, was first to descend, his expression serious as his gaze swept the surroundings.
"Everyone stay sharp! Adjust your condition!"
"Yes!"
Since they had no first-round match, to save funds, Ryonan's members only arrived in Tokyo on opening ceremony day.
Players filed out, shaking their arms and taking deep breaths of the competition venue's air, as if wanting to dispel the fatigue of long-distance travel while loosening their muscles.
Uozumi Jun's massive frame stood at the front of the formation, his eyes carrying excitement before a great battle within their composure. Compared to the prefecture tournament opening, he had less restlessness and more of the stability befitting a champion team's center.
Ikegami Ryoji remained meticulous as always. His hairstyle and jersey maintained their usual neatness even during the journey. He looked around, hoping for a fated encounter with his destined girl in Tokyo.
Uekusa Tomoyuki and Koshino Hiroaki chatted enthusiastically, showing no visible tension.
Fukuda Kicchou seemed rather quiet. He secretly used peripheral vision to observe the crowd outside the venue. Discovering no one actually noticed him, he silently withdrew his gaze, feeling somewhat dejected inside.
Sendoh Akira yawned, looking completely listless. This past week, forget fishing—he hadn't even had time to slack off. During free practice, he'd been grouped with Yagami Sorato. Each time, the other would triple-check that he was truly exhausted to the limit before ending the "torture."
And the instigator Yagami Sorato walked steadily in the middle of the formation carrying his sports bag, expression calm and demeanor relaxed. Only in the depths of his pupils danced that familiar hunger for strong enemies and instinctive excitement for the court.
Aida Hikoichi held up his video camera, nervously yet excitedly filming the team, muttering, "Arriving in Tokyo! Target—regional qualifying tournament championship! Today we're still—"
"Yo, you guys only just arrived today?"
A composed voice interrupted the recording. Everyone turned around. Kainan's group was walking over casually, led by none other than Maki Shinichi.
"Didn't expect winning the prefecture this year came with a first-round bye bonus." Maki Shinichi's gaze swept across all of Ryonan before saying calmly.
"Old man, is being this comfortable really okay?" Yagami Sorato said with interest. "Your opponent today doesn't seem easy to handle."
"True enough." Maki Shinichi smiled lightly, yet his eyes suddenly sharpened. "But since the goal is nationals, meeting these troublesome guys is just a matter of sooner or later. You guys... came with the same resolve, right?"
"Of course!"
Before Yagami could reply, Uozumi Jun had already stepped forward with a large stride. His towering frame carried unprecedented momentum as he faced Maki Shinichi head-on.
"Don't embarrass Kanagawa's teams, Maki."
"You punk, getting this cocky after winning just once." Maki Shinichi's smile didn't fade—instead, blazing fighting spirit ignited in his eyes. "Let's settle things in the semifinals. This time, Kainan absolutely won't lose again!"
"Hey, hey, hey, are you guys serious?"
An unpleasant, sticky-feeling voice came from the side.
Everyone turned to look. A not-particularly-tall player stood there wearing a Kirisaki Daiichi uniform. Beneath black bangs, a pair of slightly upturned eyes flashed with undisguised malice, his lips wearing an uncomfortable fake smile.
Yagami Sorato's brow furrowed. He had to admit, he definitely remembered this guy—none other than Kirisaki Daiichi's point guard, notorious for dirty play and psychological tactics, Hanamiya Makoto.
In his previous life, physical limitations had left him bedridden, unable to play freely. Naturally, he deeply detested those who deliberately injured others on the court.
"With trash like you, you think you're qualified to discuss facing Shutoku and the 'Generation of Miracles'?" Hanamiya Makoto's tone carried obvious mockery, his gaze shifting between Ryonan and Kainan's members.
"Bastard, who are you? What do you want?" Kiyota Nobunaga couldn't help shouting.
Hanamiya Makoto ignored Kiyota Nobunaga, his vision falling on the towering Uozumi Jun.
"Hm?" Uozumi Jun frowned with confusion. "I don't know you, do I?"
"..." Hanamiya Makoto's expression froze momentarily before saying with distaste, "Hahaha, seriously? Truly worthy of a team from the countryside—you don't even gather basic opponent intelligence beforehand?"
"Forget it." Without waiting for Uozumi Jun's response, he laughed arrogantly, extending his hand to point at Kainan's members. "As for you guys, best to obediently let Shutoku defeat you. Of course, if you can drain some of their stamina and force them to show their true ability, consider your mission accomplished."
Finally, he redirected his spearhead toward Ryonan, speaking word by word: "And you? Listen carefully. Group A has only one advancing spot, and it definitely won't be you."
"Bastard!"
"You punk!"
Maki Shinichi and Sendoh Akira separately restrained their teams' furious members. Coach Taoka, who'd been chatting with Coach Takato not far away, looked over.
"No point getting angry at trash like this, right?" Yagami Sorato said calmly. "He's only pulling these off-court tricks because he knows his team lacks strength."
"Haha, I recognize you." Hanamiya Makoto's smile grew more false. "Even Kise fell below you. The finals' solo 50-point performance—Kanagawa's Rookie King..."
"Limitless prospects... assuming you don't get injured."
"You bastard, what do you mean?!" Uozumi Jun positioned himself protectively before Yagami Sorato.
"Oh my, don't be so tense. Aren't I kindly reminding you? Nothing happening would naturally be best."
Yagami Sorato thought he'd be furious. But in reality, he now felt only calm—even found Hanamiya Makoto somewhat pitiful.
"???"
Hanamiya Makoto's perpetual fake smile suddenly turned grim. "Brat, what's with that look?"
"Because you're very weak and can't experience basketball's joy, you can only sneakily employ dark methods, seeking satisfaction like a rat..." Yagami Sorato said with pity. "You must have had an unhappy childhood. How tragic."
"Brat!! Say that again—"
"Seems your hearing has issues too—is that why you hurt others?" Yagami Sorato laughed cheerfully. "Our brilliant lives must make you uncomfortable, right? Don't worry. During the match, I'll quickly end your suffering."
"Heh heh." Hanamiya Makoto suddenly laughed too, as if his earlier anger had been fake. "Then I look forward to it."
Having said this, Hanamiya Makoto returned to his teammates not far away.
"How'd it go?" Furuhashi Kojiro asked.
"Go all out. I want that guy leaving the gymnasium on a stretcher." Hanamiya Makoto said through gritted teeth.
"Heh heh, making you angry—seems that guy's got quite the personality." Furuhashi Kojiro's hollow eyes flashed with coldness.
After the minor incident, neither Ryonan nor Kainan's members took it to heart.
Following the morning's opening ceremony, matches proceeded simultaneously across four courts according to group assignments. Except for the four first-round bye teams, the other 24 teams had to fight for first-round advancement spots.
Ryonan watched the morning's Masahou vs Kanezaki match at Court A. The winner between these two teams would become their opponent tomorrow.
(Both Masahou and Kirisaki Daiichi are Tokyo teams originally, but with too many Tokyo teams, they've been reassigned to Saitama Prefecture—the Kanto region's northern area. Other details remain unchanged.)
Masahou's players weren't particularly tall, but all moved agilely with clean footwork, displaying solid man-to-man defensive ability.
After the first quarter ended, they'd firmly suppressed their opponents' scoring to just 10 points.
"Although they're not using full-court press," Koshino Hiroaki observed, "the instant you cross halfcourt, you immediately face one-on-one tight marking—completely stuck."
"Especially that bald guy's defensive pressure is overwhelming. Kanezaki's point guard can barely get the ball out smoothly." Uekusa Tomoyuki was most helpless against this type of player.
"This team has no particularly dazzling star players, but each player's technique is quite solid." Coach Taoka analyzed. "On offense, they mainly rely on Kasuga Ryuhei's organization and individual penetration. Defensively, they depend on Tsugawa Tomoki's marking ability."
"Center Iwamura Tsutomu, though only 187cm tall, has a strong build and comprehensive technique. He provides powerful support on both ends."
"Worthy of being Saitama's top-two team. Their strength can't be underestimated."
"Don't their movements seem a bit strange?" Sendoh Akira asked while propping his chin. "Whether offense or defense, there are no wasted movements. Even their force generation feels different from typical players."
"Ah, I know about this!" Aida Hikoichi flipped through his notebook.
"Masahou was featured in Weekly Basketball before. Sendoh-senpai, that sense of dissonance you mentioned probably comes from 'ancient martial arts'!"
"Ancient martial arts?" Ryonan's members questioned.
Yagami Sorato inexplicably thought of things like "kung fu basketball."
"Masahou Academy is originally a martial arts school. They've probably integrated force generation characteristics from their usual martial arts practice into basketball!" Aida Hikoichi explained.
(PS: Just remembered this year Wembanyama trained at Shaolin Temple...)
"What a strange team." Ikegami Ryoji said.
"However, basketball is basketball. When it comes to actual strength, we won't lose." Yagami Sorato smiled. "Right?"
"Need you even ask?!" Uozumi Jun replied in a booming voice.
Because he didn't control his volume, he instantly drew numerous sidelong glances from nearby spectators.
Time passed quickly. The match held no suspense. Masahou completely restricted Kanezaki's offense throughout, securely claiming victory.
Masahou 82 - Kanezaki 58
After watching this game, Ryonan didn't choose to remain at Court A. Like most others, they headed to Court D to watch the first day's most anticipated match.
Shutoku vs Kainan!
One was the former Tokyo champion team possessing a "Generation of Miracles" member.
The other was the former Kanagawa champion team that had reached nationals for 16 consecutive years.
Both teams equally possessed "three-point sharpshooters." From the start, this match attracted countless spectators' attention.
Two PM. The Shutoku versus Kainan match officially began.
"Shutoku's starting lineup is so tall..." Ikegami Ryoji sighed.
The two teams stood at center circle. Shutoku's players were obviously taller than Kainan by a head. Especially Midorima Shintaro—195cm tall yet playing a guard position.
"Please take care of us!"
Shutoku's starting lineup: Point guard Takao Kazunari (176cm/65kg), shooting guard Midorima Shintaro (195cm/79kg), small forward Miyaji Kiyoshi (191cm/77kg), power forward Kimura Shinsuke (187cm/80kg), center Otsubo Taisuke (198cm/98kg).
Kainan's starting lineup: Point guard Maki Shinichi (184cm/79kg), shooting guard Jin Soichiro (189cm/71kg), small forward Kiyota Nobunaga (178cm/65kg), power forward Muto Masaru (184cm/75kg), center Takasago Kazuma (191cm/80kg).
"TWEET!"
With a whistle's sound, the referee tossed the ball vertically into the air. Both teams' centers jumped simultaneously for the tip-off!
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