Beginning the Journey to Chase Dreams

Sakuragi was suspended from games for his irrational behavior. After receiving Haruko's text, he pulled himself together and trained desperately, preparing for his debut. Meanwhile, the Jaguars began their new-season campaign and were about to face their first game of the season.

JBa's general situation was briefly introduced during Sakuragi's draft. Now, let's take a closer look at the JBa league.

The JBa league currently had ten teams: Hokkaido Lavender, Osaka Iron Horses, Tokyo Great White Sharks, Fukuyama Flying Waves, Nagoya Ninjas, Kagoshima Antlers, Aomori Green Pythons, Sado Island Brilliance, Sendai Wanderers, and Sakuragi's Kobe Jaguars.

Using the Kobe Jaguars as an example, in the regular season, they needed to play home-and-away games against five of the other nine teams, then play three games each against the remaining four teams. Two of those teams would have two home games, while the other two would have two away games. Altogether, each team had to play games in the regular season. That was not a large number of games, so Sakuragi's suspension clearly showed how severe the league's punishment had been.

After the regular season ended, the top four teams entered the playoffs. With only four teams qualifying, weaker teams lacked motivation to compete to some extent, so the JBa league was considering expansion, possibly as soon as next season. The four playoff teams would be seeded one through four and face off in a - matchup. The series would be best-of-five, and the two winners would compete for the championship.

The Jaguars' first game of the new season would be an away game against the relatively average Aomori Green Pythons, and it would also be the JBa season opener. As the team prepared to leave for the road game, Sakuragi decided to stay behind at the team facility to train rather than travel with them.

"Are you really not coming with us, Sakuragi?" Coach Omoki asked.

"I'm not going. I feel like time is especially tight right now. I need to train harder. I'm already missing games, so I'll give everything I have in the remaining ones!" Sakuragi had clearly made up his mind.

"All right." Seeing how determined Sakuragi was, Omoki gave up trying to persuade him.

The Aomori Green Pythons truly had limited strength. In recent years, the team had failed to develop any elite players, and its eye for the draft left much to be desired. Only their center, Uchiyama Changbian, possessed some ability. His long braids and massive weight were his trademarks, while the rest of the players were fairly ordinary.

Perhaps because it was the team's season opener, the Green Pythons' home attendance was quite high. Of course, a large number of people might have come specifically to see the number one pick—Rukawa Kaede!

After warmups, the players from both sides prepared to take the court.

"For the first game of the new season, show some spirit. Keep playing our style. Attack Akagi first. If Rukawa has an opening outside, shoot decisively. On defense, man-to-man will do. All right, let's bring the energy!" Omoki gave his final instructions.

"1, Jaguars!" As usual, the players raised their hands and brought their fists together, shouting with great force.

Akagi and Uchiyama Changbian prepared for the tip-off. The new JBa season officially began, as did the Jaguars' first game of the season and Rukawa Kaede's first professional game.

After the tip-off, the Jaguars gained possession. Miyagi dribbled across half court and immediately passed to Rukawa Kaede, who had come over for the ball. Rukawa did not hesitate after receiving it, driving forward with his left hand. The Green Pythons had clearly studied the top pick beforehand. The moment Rukawa reached the free-throw line, players came over to trap him and cut off his path. But Rukawa had apparently been prepared. The instant the trap arrived, he passed the ball to Mitsui, who was wide open at the left forty-five-degree three-point line. Mitsui caught it and shot in one smooth motion!

Swish!

Mitsui struck first for the Jaguars, scoring their first basket of the new season.

"Great pass, Rukawa! This is the JBa—let's make it count!" Mitsui, acting like a veteran big brother, encouraged Rukawa Kaede.

On the other end, Green Pythons power forward Yagi Ryu missed a mid-range jumper. Akagi grabbed the rebound and gave it to Miyagi. Seeing no fast-break opportunity, Miyagi slowed the offense into a set play.

Rukawa Kaede once again used a screen to come out from the paint. Seeing that he was open at the three-point line, Miyagi immediately passed him the ball.

Rukawa did not hesitate either, launching a three-pointer!

But it missed, striking the rim for a long rebound. Akagi reached out with his long arms and snatched it down, holding the ball high overhead. Seeing the paint empty, Rukawa suddenly cut inside. Akagi saw him drive into the lane, made a shooting fake, then passed to Rukawa. Rukawa did not dribble after catching it. He took one gathering step and threw down a two-handed slam!

Rukawa Kaede scored the first basket of his professional career. He had been extremely active since the opening tip, unleashing his talent.

"There's no question about Rukawa Kaede's individual ability. Compared to his scoring, though, I hope he can connect the entire team and bring everyone to life, just like he did on that first assist," Omoki analyzed.

The Jaguars faced little resistance throughout the game. In the end, they defeated the Aomori Green Pythons 18:91 on the road in their first game of the new season, earning their first win.

Rukawa Kaede played 8 minutes and recorded 1 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and steals. After the game, many major media outlets reported on his performance, with some even using the headline "A King Is Born" to describe his debut.

"How did it feel, Rukawa Kaede? Your first JBa game—you did pretty well!" Miyagi praised Rukawa in the locker room after the game.

"It was all right. I just wonder how that game went over there." Rukawa's mind had clearly been focused on another game all along.

The game Rukawa mentioned was the day's marquee matchup, which began immediately after the Jaguars' game ended.

The reigning JBa champions, the Sendai Wanderers, faced the Nagoya Ninjas in a clash between powerhouses.

As last season's champions, the Wanderers' strength was beyond question. Although Maruyama Kojiro, the dominant inside force who had helped them win the title and earned Finals MVP last season, had left to further his studies in the United States, the Wanderers still had Sendoh Akira, arguably the league's best shooting guard; the promising rookie Mito Yohei; and the powerful defensive big man Fukuda, who was also Sendoh's schoolmate. Their strength could not be underestimated. On the other side, the Ninjas' interior presence, Takano Jinglei, had apparently been badly injured by Sakuragi and did not play. Even so, the Ninjas remained a very strong all-around team. Their point guard Ishii Yanfu was especially impressive, scoring points while dishing out a game-high 16 assists. But Sendoh Akira erupted. He went 1-for- on two-pointers, 5-for-7 from three, and 8-for-9 at the free-throw line, scoring 49 points along with a terrifying 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals. He led his team to a thrilling 98:9 victory in the season opener, defending their home-court honor!

There were only two games that day, but both Sendoh and Rukawa Kaede delivered outstanding performances and led their respective teams to opening wins!

Perhaps the two of them were also competing in secret, because sooner or later, they would clash in a battle of destiny.

Sakuragi witnessed it all in front of the television at the Jaguars' training facility. With his fists clenched, he wished he could take the court right then and there. In Sakuragi's eyes, his own ability was evenly matched with Sendoh's and Rukawa Kaede's! But all Sakuragi could do now was train—train without stopping—and make every preparation for his own game.

After playing their game, the Jaguars did not return to Kobe. Instead, they headed to their next road destination, Osaka, to challenge the Osaka Iron Horses! The consecutive road games meant the players could only rest on the plane. Fortunately, they had four days to recover, giving them a chance to catch their breath.

The Osaka Iron Horses were also a team that had once enjoyed glory. The Jaguars' current head coach, Omoki Ishimoto, had been one of the Iron Horses' key players during his playing days and had helped the team win one—and its only—JBa championship. After all, only four teams in JBa history had ever won a championship: the Sendai Wanderers, Kagoshima Antlers, Hokkaido Lavender, and Osaka Iron Horses. (Tokyo Tower had once won 9 JBa championships, but poor management later led to the team being sold and becoming the present-day Tokyo Great White Sharks. Therefore, Tokyo Great White Sharks and Tokyo Tower were not considered the same team.) The Iron Horses still had some foundation, and they possessed a strong wing combination: dunk contest champion Nakazato Ban and Japanese-Brazilian Slaer Kento. This duo had tremendous attacking force, and against a Jaguars team without Sakuragi, the Iron Horses were determined to defend their home-court honor.

As the second game day began, the other teams finally made their appearances as well. The most surprising game was undoubtedly Kagoshima Antlers' 18:86 victory over Hokkaido Lavender by 4 points. Looking at the scoreboard, every name was familiar.

Kagoshima Antlers

No. 4, Maki Shinichi: points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks; No. 6, Jin Chuichiro: 18 points, 5-for-6 from three; No. 1, Kiyota Nobunaga: 15 points, 1 assist.

"So you're all here! Hahaha, perfect! There couldn't be better opponents for my career debut!" Sakuragi watched everything from in front of the television, because the first game of his return from suspension would be the Jaguars' home matchup against the Kagoshima Antlers!