He took two steps forward, his voice carrying an inspiring force as he said slowly, "Go, boys. Keep up that rhythm. Believe in your own strength, and take back the victory that belongs to us with your own hands."
His gaze swept over every player before finally settling on Hiroshi Morishige, his eyes full of expectation.
"Yes!" The Mingpeng Industrial High School players answered in unison, their voices so loud they nearly drowned out the noise from the stands.
With the resolve to leave no way back, they did not linger any longer. They turned and marched neatly toward the court.
On the other side, in Ryonan's bench area, the atmosphere was entirely different from Mingpeng Industrial's fervor, yet it carried a tranquility that put people more at ease.
Chi Tong was the first to rise from the bench, moving at an unhurried pace as though the tension and discussion during the timeout had nothing to do with him.
The players behind him stood one after another, their eyes still carrying traces of lingering confusion. They had not fully grasped the meaning behind Chi Tong's words, but one thing was now absolutely certain: Chi Tong's consecutive mistakes earlier had not been accidents, but part of a plan he had laid out long ago.
That realization was like a calming pill, completely dispelling the panic that had hung over the team.
Yu Zhu took a deep breath. His tense shoulders slowly relaxed, and his tightly furrowed brow eased.
Fukuda Kiccho put away his impatience, his gaze sharpening once more as the hand clutching his jersey gradually loosened. Even Uekusa Tomoyuki, who was usually prone to nervousness, straightened his back, his eyes filled with trust as he looked at Chi Tong.
Ever since joining Ryonan, none of Chi Tong's schemes had ever