First Battle (2)

After both teams finished lining up and bowing, the System's long-silent prompt echoed in Ken Kaneki's mind once more: "Side Quest Issued: All-Round King. Quest Objective: Achieve a 5x5 stat line, and ensure at least one stat is the highest on the team. Quest Completion Reward: Skill Upgrade Card Fragments x10, Attribute Points x3. Quest Failure Penalty: Randomly deduct one Skill."

"They're really forcing me to be a grinder..." Looking at the System interface before him, Ken Kaneki sighed helplessly, "I'm sorry everyone, I'm not going to be human anymore."

"Beep beep~" Amidst Ken Kaneki's thoughts, the basketball, accompanied by the referee's whistle, was tossed into the air. The first game of the prefectural tournament officially kicked off.

"Ahhhhhh!" Tsutomu Iwamura roared as he leaped into the air, striving to secure the opening tip-off.

"Seriously, so loud," Atsushi Murasakibara leisurely arrived after him, ultimately swatting the ball with the advantage of one hand towards Shuzo Nijimura.

"Nice one, Murasakibara!" Shuzo Nijimura excitedly snatched the ball before the Seihō team could react, "Fast break!"

At Shuzo Nijimura's command, the Teiko Junior High School team moved like lightning across the night sky, instantly streaking towards the frontcourt.

"Crap, hurry back on defense!" The Seihō players, shocked by Murasakibara's incredible height and reaction speed, finally snapped back to reality and scrambled towards their assigned players.

"Captain, over here!" The two arrows of Teiko Junior High's fast break—Ken Kaneki and Daiki Aomine—simultaneously spread their hands, calling for the ball from Shuzo Nijimura.

Shuzo Nijimura's gaze flickered towards Daiki Aomine, his hands flicked, and the basketball instead turned into a streak of light, brushing past Koichi Sakamoto's outstretched fingers and heading straight for Ken Kaneki.

After receiving the ball, Ken Kaneki ignored Kazuma Tagawa, who was chasing him from behind. With a powerful dribble, he gathered the ball just inside the three-point line, took two steps within the free-throw line, and pushed off with one foot. He soared into the air as if propelled by springs and slammed the ball ferociously into the hoop.

"Wow!!!!" The opening basket, Ken Kaneki's explosive performance, captured the attention of the entire stadium.

"Incredible! Dunking in junior high!"

"His physical ability is just off the charts!"

"Amazing!"

The sounds of surprise and admiration from the sidelines surged like a tide. Daiki Aomine and Atsushi Murasakibara excitedly stepped forward to ruffle Ken Kaneki's golden hair.

"Alright, stop messing around, let's get back on defense," Ken Kaneki finally broke free from their grasp, chuckling as he touched his disheveled hair.

On the Seihō Junior High side, Tsutomu Iwamura watched the Teiko Junior High team retreat, his expression solemn. "It seems it's not just that big guy with purple hair; that blonde-haired kid isn't easy to deal with either."

"Sorry, I was too slow getting back on defense," Kazuma Tagawa apologized.

"It's okay, it's just the start of the game, everyone was a bit distracted. We'll get it back next play," Tsutomu Iwamura patted Kazuma Tagawa's shoulder to comfort him before going to inbound the ball.

"Don't panic, play steady, and win this next point!" Koichi Sakamoto received the inbound pass and steadily brought the ball past half-court. Looking at Shuzo Nijimura, who was waiting with a tight defense, Koichi Sakamoto signaled for the team to run their offensive plays.

Seeing this, Tsutomu Iwamura immediately moved up for a screen. Koichi Sakamoto successfully broke free from Shuzo Nijimura using the screen. Ken Kaneki didn't hesitate and immediately moved up to the high post to cover for Koichi Sakamoto. Shuzo Nijimura, seeing this, didn't immediately signal Atsushi Murasakibara to guard Kazuma Tagawa, taking on the matchup with Tsutomu Iwamura himself.

If any other basketball-loving transmigration players were present, they would have immediately recognized Teiko Junior High's defensive tactic as the Golden State Warriors' signature "switch everything" defense. However, unlike the Warriors, who had to sacrifice some height for defensive flexibility, Teiko Junior High held a comprehensive advantage in both height and speed over their opponents.

The moment Koichi Sakamoto was enveloped by Ken Kaneki's presence, his instincts as a player made the hair on his body stand on end, as if he were a tiger's prey in the jungle. The sudden shiver made him hesitate to act rashly. He took two steps back, dribbled the ball out to the three-point line, and reorganized the offense.

"Senpai, over here!" Tomoki Tsugawa, who had gotten open by running off an off-ball screen from Kazuma Tagawa, quickly waved his hand for the ball. Koichi Sakamoto immediately made a passing motion, and Ken Kaneki shifted his weight towards Tomoki Tsugawa's direction.

"Good opportunity!" A glint of joy flashed in Koichi Sakamoto's eyes as he forcefully bounced the ball off the floor. The direction clearly indicated it was heading towards Takakatsu Kasuga, who had successfully slipped to the baseline.

"Nice pass, Senpai." Just as Koichi Sakamoto thought he was about to complete a clever play, Ken Kaneki, without even looking, intercepted the pass with a quick backhand swipe. Seizing the moment before anyone could react to the steal, he launched a solo fast break.

"Damn it, how could I make such a basic mistake!" Koichi Sakamoto chased after him, unwilling to accept his error and wanting to make up for it. But as he chased, he found the distance between himself and Ken Kaneki widening.

"Sakamo-senpai can't outrun that kid with the ball even when he's empty-handed?" The Seihō Junior High cheering squad watching from the sidelines also noticed the discrepancy.

"This kid... he runs too fast!" Watching Ken Kaneki easily complete the layup, Tsutomu Iwamura's heart sank. "Damn it, are all the players in Teiko Junior High monsters like this this year?"

"Senpai, how about I guard him next play?" Tomoki Tsugawa approached Tsutomu Iwamura, eager to try.

"Mm." Tsutomu Iwamura pondered for a moment, deciding to let his first-year player, who had earned a starting spot with his defensive ability, test Ken Kaneki's mettle.

Possession changed hands, and Seihō Junior High launched another offense. Tsutomu Iwamura received the pass and failed to score with a post-up against Atsushi Murasakibara. Takakatsu Kasuga grabbed the loose ball amidst the crowd and scored with a mid-range shot.

"Aomine, you were spacing out!" Shuzo Nijimura pointed at Daiki Aomine. "You're running five laps for that."

"Uh... Yes, Captain." Daiki Aomine glared unhappily at Takakatsu Kasuga. "It's all your fault!"

"Huh?" Takakatsu Kasuga looked at Daiki Aomine, bewildered and clueless.

"Captain! The ball!" Daiki Aomine, determined to regain his honor, reached out for the ball from Shuzo Nijimura as soon as he reached the frontcourt.

"What a hot-blooded idiot, Aomine," Shuzo Nijimura sighed, then fired a long pass into Daiki Aomine's hands.

"It's all your fault for making me have to run laps!" Daiki Aomine looked at Takakatsu Kasuga before him, his resentment almost palpable. "I'm going to crush you!"

"Ha? Stop bragging, you..." Takakatsu Kasuga hadn't finished speaking when Daiki Aomine vanished before his eyes like a phantom. By the time Takakatsu Kasuga finally adjusted his stance, Daiki Aomine had already completed his layup.

"Hmm, good, I'm not too late," a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses sat down with a short-haired girl in a secluded corner of the audience.

"Dad, who do you think will win this game?" the short-haired girl asked curiously.

"It's hard to say. If I had to guess, the one who scores more will win," the middle-aged man said with a smile.