Preparing for the New Season

"These guys actually pulled it off. Omoki really found himself quite a few treasures!" Instructor Maekawa came to the kitchen. It was already one in the morning, and all the dishes had been washed. Rukawa Kaede and the others were probably exhausted; they had all collapsed asleep in a corner.

Up on the mountain, Akagi and the others had indeed set up tents and even lit a fire. Perhaps the mountain nights were especially damp and cold, leaving everyone too chilled to sleep. They lay on the ground, gazing at the stars and chatting. Laughter drifted through the night from time to time. As the campfire gradually died out, most of the players fell asleep. Only Akagi remained, staring thoughtfully at the stars. Perhaps he was worried about Sakuragi, who was training alone.

"I really can't go on anymore..." Sakuragi seemed to have used up his last bit of strength. He floated on the water.

"Sakuragi!!!" Kawaguchi had been keeping watch by the poolside. Though he was barely able to stay awake, he still kept his eyes slightly open. He vaguely saw something floating on the water, then opened his eyes wide and realized it really was Sakuragi. Kawaguchi cried out.

"He's fine. Just overly exhausted. He'll be alright after some sleep." Maekawa examined Sakuragi and gave his diagnosis.

But Sakuragi's perseverance really is astonishing. I never expected him to scrub the entire pool spotless in one night! If only he came to learn swimming! Hahaha! Maekawa thought.

The first day of special training had ended. The players from every group were already completely exhausted. Just as the instructors had said, after such grueling training, everyone slept soundly.

With the morning rooster's crow, the second day of training began.

"Huh?? Miyagi, why do you smell like detergent?"

"Ugh, I washed dishes all night. My wrists still hurt..."

"What about you, Mitsui?"

"I'm okay. Just a little cold. I probably got chilled while sleeping last night."

The two, who had not seen each other all night, exchanged a few words.

Before long, the instructor came before the players looking positively radiant.

"Morning, everyone! You all did very well yesterday, so as a reward..." At that, the sleepy players widened their eyes and stared at the instructor, waiting for a reward such as a day off.

"So as a reward, everyone gets a meal card today!"

As soon as the coach finished speaking, the spirits the players had just managed to raise sank back to rock bottom.

"Today, we'll mainly be practicing..." The instructor began explaining the day's training program. The second day was relatively normal, and the players trained alongside the soldiers.

After his terrifying night, Sakuragi was fully revived once again. Other than remembering that he had finished scrubbing the pool walls, he seemed to have forgotten everything else. Kawaguchi, on the other hand, had stayed up all night looking after him.

"Hey, Kawaguchi, what's wrong with you? Why are your eye circles so dark!!! Did you get poisoned or something!!!"

I never should have been Sakuragi's training partner. No normal human can be his training partner. I really regret this... Kawaguchi lamented inwardly.

Sakuragi's second day of special training also got back on track. He attended professional swimming lessons with some of the trainees from Maekawa's swimming class. With his childlike disposition, Sakuragi soon became one with the trainees.

"If I'd discovered Sakuragi earlier, with his talent, I might have found myself a successor!" Seeing how devoted Sakuragi was to training, Maekawa could not help sighing again.

The third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, and the sixth day. Every day, the players poured out their sweat. Every day, their unity grew stronger. Every day, every player gained something of his own.

When you immersed yourself in what you were doing every day, each day felt like a honeymoon! In the blink of an eye, special training had reached its final day.

"Ready, go!" At Kawaguchi's command, Sakuragi competed against the trainees in the pool. In the end, Sakuragi "unsurprisingly" lost to them.

"Yay! We beat Brother Sakuragi!!!" The trainees were ecstatic.

"Damn it! I'll definitely beat you next time!" Sakuragi said regretfully.

When they learned that Sakuragi's special training was ending and he was about to leave, the trainees were extremely reluctant to part with him.

"Brother Sakuragi, are you really leaving? We competed so many times in holding our breath, and I still haven't beaten you! And..." The trainees recalled all the little moments from the past week.

"Haha, alright. I'll be waiting for your challenges anytime!" Sakuragi's eyes were a little moist as well.

"Brother Sakuragi! Keep it up! The Jaguars' performance this year depends on you!"

"Don't worry. I'll definitely make the Jaguars a first-class powerhouse! You all need to train hard too. I'll come see you again!!"

The trainees said their final goodbyes to Sakuragi.

"Senior Maekawa, thank you! I learned so much this week. I feel like my physical condition is the best it's been in years! Thank you so much!!" With that, Sakuragi gave him a deep bow.

"You don't need to thank me. It also has to do with your own hard work. Remember what I told you, Sakuragi! You possess something even more outstanding than your physical gifts!"

"I'll remember it, Senior!!!" Sakuragi was already overflowing with tears.

"Alright, go on now. Don't cry, Sakuragi. This isn't like you!"

"Goodbye, Senior Maekawa!!!"

After saying his final farewell to Maekawa, Sakuragi and the others set off back for the Jaguars' base.

"Sakuragi Hanamichi, what a hot-blooded young man. It was like seeing my younger self!" Maekawa said wistfully.

Over at the military base, the instructor arranged a basketball game. Rukawa Kaede, Mitsui, and the other players teamed up with some soldiers to face Akagi, Miyagi, the other players, and their soldiers.

This kind of game lacked the usual tension of an official match. The players were more relaxed and played some rare, entertaining basketball. Once the game ended, it was time to say goodbye again.

"The week-long special training is about to end. Everyone has seen your performance. You are all highly qualified soldiers, and your tenacious spirit has deeply moved me. I hope you will bring this never-give-up attitude into your future games. I hope you can bring honor to the city of Kobe!" As soon as the instructor finished speaking, waves of applause erupted!

"Instructor Maekawa, thank you for your hard work this week. Our team has learned so much and benefited greatly. These are things we could never learn on a basketball court. We truly thank you! This is our Jaguars uniform, and we'd like to give it to you. We also hope you'll come watch our games when you have time!!" Akagi thanked the instructor on behalf of the team and presented the jersey they had prepared in advance.

"Hahaha, looks like I'm part of the team too!!" The instructor took the jersey, visibly excited.

"You've worked hard, Maekawa. Thank your younger brother for me as well. He must have had it tough training a player alone this week. The next time you come into the city, we'll have a proper get-together!" Coach Omoki was also preparing to say goodbye to his old friend.

"You're too polite. But I really am curious about the background of that kid Yuanhang is training by himself."

"Haha, you can just ask your younger brother directly!"

"That's right. I'm getting old, my brain isn't working anymore!! Let's go."

The players waved goodbye to the soldiers who had come to see them off. Before long, the bus slowly drove away.

"Screech, squeak, screech, squeak." The sound of basketball shoes scraping the floor echoed through the arena for a long time.

A player in a number seven practice jersey flashed into the paint like lightning, then threw down a powerful dunk that stunned everyone present.

"Whoa!! He's too strong!!! As expected of Xiandao!!"

"Of course! Last year, Xiandao practically carried our team into the playoffs by himself. Even though we still lost in the end, our Xiandao earned recognition from basketball fans across the country!"

"Exactly! This year, not only did our team draft Mito Yohei, who they say was the best scorer in the college league, but Fukuda has returned after recovering from his injury! With the veterans playing steadily too, our team really has a lot of hope this year!!"

Several players chatted among themselves. The Xiandao they spoke of was none other than Ryonan's former number seven—the invincible man who loved fishing, the man Rukawa Kaede had always wanted to defeat—Sendoh Akira!

This was Sendoh Akira's team, the Sendai Wanderers, who had drafted Mito Yohei in this year's draft. Everyone trained hard, actively preparing for the coming new season!

"Whew~~~" Perhaps because of the long journey, Miyagi started dozing off as soon as he got off the bus.

"Huh? It sounds like someone's practicing basketball in the arena!!" As they approached the training facility, everyone heard the sounds of basketball being played.

Several players curiously pushed open the doors. They saw Sakuragi on the court doing specialized defensive footwork drills, along with full-court sprints and shooting practice. The high-intensity training had already soaked his tank top, making him look as though he had just climbed out of a swimming pool.

"Yo! The main group is finally back." A middle-aged man who looked like a coach spotted the players outside the door.

"Sakuragi... I have no idea what kind of training he went through this week, but he seems incredibly fired up right now!" Miyagi remarked as he watched Sakuragi train.

"Hey!! Miyagi, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and train! Let's see if you can still steal the ball from me!" Sakuragi was indeed in high spirits.

"You guys, get over here too. There's only one month left until the new season!! The other teams must all be training intensively right now. If your training isn't complete, you'll fall behind before you even get started!!" Sakuragi said smugly.

"Looks like Sakuragi really gained a lot this week. At the very least, he's in excellent condition! That's right... only one month left until the new season begins!" Omoki said thoughtfully again. He had only one month left to rebuild the team!